Yellow Line riders have something to look forward to. The CTA announced Friday that Yellow Line service will resume Friday, October 30. Track maintenance, testing and inspections will continue through the end of the month.
Service was suspended in May after an embankment collapse that was caused by construction on Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) property.
“Restoring Yellow Line service as quickly as possible has remained our top priority while maintaining the safety of our riders,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said in a news release. “We know how critical access to public transportation is to the livelihood of people across the Chicago area and we look forward to welcoming Yellow Line riders back to the quick, affordable service to which they are accustomed.”
The Yellow Line restoration included rebuilding and stabalizing the soil embankment, reconstruction of 1,200 feet of Yellow Line tracks atop the embankment and reconnecting signals and communication lines.
Additionally, the CTA is putting into service two of their newest 5000-series rail cars as part of the CTA’s ongoing modernization of its rail fleet.
“We are grateful for the collaborative relationship we have maintained with the CTA and the Village of Skokie during the rebuild process,” MWRD Executive Director David St. Pierre said in a news release. “All parties worked cooperatively to meet the same goal—the safe return of the Yellow Line to service as soon as possible. We also appreciate the patience of the public as we worked through the many issues related to this complex project.”
To encourage ridership to return, the Village of Skokie and CTA will provide free parking at the Dempster station for the remainder of 2015.
For safety reasons, the CTA would like to remind customers that it’s important to stay off the tracks and be alert near rail crossings.
