UPTOWN — Do you ride the Purple or Red Line to get to work in the morning? If so, your travel time is about to get a little bit longer.
Beginning March 9 until the spring of 2016, both Red and Purple Line express trains heading downtown will share the same track between the Wilson and Belmont stations as crews work on the $203 million Wilson Red Line renovation project, according to CTA officials.
That means riders should expect an extra 2-4 minutes of travel time on the Red Line and an extra 4-6 minutes of travel time on the Purple Line during morning rush hour.
While the amount of trains on both lines will remain the same, the amount of time between Purple Line trains will differ slightly, officials said. The time between Red Line trains will remain the same.
Another element to remember: Loop-bound Purple Line trains will make additional stops at Wilson, Sheridan and Addison stations during morning rush hour. Riders can board these trains at the Red Line stops.
The track sharing is part of an effort to completely overhaul the 91-year-old station house and the more-than-century-old track structure. The Wilson Red Line will also become a transfer point between Purple and Red Line trains.
To make that happen, crews must reconstruct about 2,200 feet of elevated Purple Line express tracks.
During construction, the Wilson Red Line station will remain open and riders can board Red Line trains as they normally would. The only difference is Purple Line Express trains will stop on the southbound side of the platform during morning rush hour.
Once construction is completed in 2017, the Wilson Red Line will be both modern and accessible and provide a "more pleasing street environment on Wilson Avenue and Broadway in the heart of Uptown," officials said.
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