CTA Red Line extension gets $350M in Biden’s proposed budget

CHICAGO - President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for next year includes $350 million for the planned Red Line Extension, which could send L trains as far south as 130th Street.

But the funding is a long way from being approved — at least for now — as it still needs Congress’ approval before getting the president’s signature.

The potential funding is a critical part of the Red Line Extension project, which CTA expects to cost $3.6 billion. Last September, the CTA said it was in line to receive a total of $1.9 billion in federal funding. The proposed $350 million is part of that funding, the CTA said Wednesday.

"The CTA greatly appreciates the support from our federal partners who continuously push for the largest project in agency history to get off the ground," CTA President Dorval Carter said in a news release.

The project is still in its planning stage, but CTA officials expect construction to begin next year.

The Red Line Extension project will extend the south branch of the L line 5.6 miles from the current terminal at 95th Street to 130th Street. Four stations would be built near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue and 130th Street.

That potential funding is a small part of a $4 billion in the Biden administration’s 2025 budget to fund 14 large transit projects across the country.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took credit Monday for recommending the projects, which include potential funding of $700 million for an Amtrak tunnel between New York and New Jersey and $118 million for a bus project in Madison, Wisconsin.

The CTA said it’s covering the remaining costs with $950 million from the local tax increment financing district, $130 million from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program, $365 million in anticipated state funding, and $182 million in CTA bonds and other sources.