Red Line’s ‘big fix’ officially begins with promise of faster commute

The “big fix’’ of the Red Line South officially kicked off early Sunday, and construction is expected to disrupt the weekday commutes of more than 80,000 South Side CTA L riders. Will the five-month, total shutdown — from Cermak to 95th Street — be painful? Probably, experts say. Will it be worth it? Definitely.

CTA chief: Red Line inconvenience will produce ‘absolute best’ railroad

Shortly before the kickoff of the Red Line South reconstruction, CTA President Forrest Claypool talked with Sun-Times Transportation Reporter Rosalind Rossi about a project that Claypool says will give the South Side “the absolute best” railroad in the region.

Low ad revenue estimates force Metra to delay Wi-Fi study

Metra is delaying the second phase of a plan to get Wi-Fi on trains amid concern the rail agency wouldn’t get enough from advertising dollars and would still have to spend millions annually.

Teamsters back away from representing O’Hare janitors

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s allies in the Teamsters union leadership have backed away from trying to represent airport janitors working for a company the mayor hired last year over objections from other labor leaders. The Service Employees International Union had complained that hundreds of its members lost their jobs because of a five-year, $99.4 million janitorial contract Emanuel signed with United Maintenance Cos. Inc. for O’Hare Airport.

Red Line rehab will affect 98,000 CPS students’ commute to school

Dwyane Walker, a junior at Urban Prep Academy, has three days to figure out a new way to get to and from his Englewood school, along with nearly 98,000 other CPS students. Beginning Sunday, his Red Line station, 63rd Street, will be shut down for five months, along with all other stations south of Roosevelt, as part of the CTA’s Red Line South Reconstruction Project. And his school year doesn’t end until June 14.

Red Line rehab will end slow zones, cut 10 minutes from 95th-to-Roosevelt ride

CTA Red Line rider Corey Junkins stared over the edge of the 47th Street platform Tuesday at wooden railroad ties with gaping, one-inch-wide cracks running their entire lengths. “Those cracks have been there a long time,’’ said Junkins, 53, a regular rider on the notoriously slow Red Line. But the $425 million reconstruction of the south end of the Red Line, which starts May 19, will end the slow zones and cut commuting time.

Metra-CTA package deal during Red Line construction could save money, hassle

For displaced riders at the southernmost end of the Red Line, the package features a 10-ride ticket on the Metra Electric or Rock Island line combined with a five-day CTA pass. The bundle was created just for the five-month Red Line shutdown that starts May 19. But is it a deal? That’s complicated.

Sox fans readying to use alternate route during Red Line construction

Kathy Gutchewsky is ready to bypass the Red Line to see her beloved White Sox play.

The Hometown native typically takes the CTA twice a week from her Loop job to meet her two college-aged children and her husband for 27 home games every season. …

Red Line rehab includes 3 elevators, prep work for new 95th St. station

Upcoming Red Line South reconstruction may bring riders five months of angst, but it also will yield physical improvements to the line’s elevated stations that will last far longer. Top among them is laying the groundwork to replace 95th Street station at the south end of the Red Line with a $240 million new station, officials said Thursday.

24 aldermen back mayor on parking meters — 2 short of passing plan

The aldermen say they support the plan to trade a longer paid parking day for free neighborhood parking on Sundays, two votes shy of the “silent majority” needed for City Council passage. But not everyone’s on board. Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) is concerned that extending the parking day by one hour would create a hardship for his River North constituents.

Security cameras to watch over some shuttle bus stops during Red-Line job

Red Line South riders forced to take free shuttle buses due to upcoming track reconstruction will be wrapped in an extra layer of security — live-action cameras watching over them at shuttle stops. CTA board members agreed to spend $75,000 Wednesday for temporary surveillance cameras at seven shuttle stops during the upcoming five-month shutdown of the Red Line.

Red Line shutdown on South Side may curb business at rib joint, other shops

When the Red Line shuts down south of Cermak on May 19th for five months of repairs, the owner of I-94 Ribs and Grill worries that there won’t be nearly as many people passing by his rib joint near the 47th Street stop. Businesses along all nine stops shuttered for the reconstruction are bracing for a lean summer.

Passenger jet, cargo plane clip wings at O’Hare

No one was injured Wednesday night when a passenger jet with 284 people aboard and a cargo plane clipped the tips of their wings as they taxied past each other at O’Hare International Airport.

Replacing 91-year-old double-decker Wells Street Bridge: ‘Very cool stuff’

“I want to cut it.” “No, I want to cut it!’’ That was the argument among ironworkers last month as they lobbied to be the torch-wielder who would make the last, critical cut needed to loosen nearly half of the 91-year-old Wells Street Bridge and send it off to the scrap heap. The argument could become even more passionate as workers prepare to cut the second and final half of the double-decker Wells Street Bridge free this weekend to make way for a new — and safer — replacement.

Chicago wheeling out new bike sharing program

Called “Divvy,” the city program should open in mid-June with 75 stations and expand by the following spring to 4,000 stations, Chicago Department of Transportation officials said Thursday.