JV receives US$2.9bn contract for Chicago rail expansion project

Entry sign for Chicago’s Red Line railway. (Image: Adobe Stock)

The JV was selected after a two-year procurement process and will be responsible for the Red Line Extension (RLE) Mainline Project. This phase includes adding 5.6 mi (9km) of rail from 95th to 130th streets and building four new accessible train stations along the route.

Also included in the Walsh-Vinci JV are UK-based engineering consultants Systra and the following US-based firms: EXP, a design/engineering consultancy; Atrium, a software and AI-solutions company; and construction firms and contractors Brown & Momen, Toro Construction, Riteway-Huggins and GMA Construction Group.

Red Line Extension cost balloons to more than $5 billion

Early this month, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and the US Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced increased federal funding for the project. The notice suggested a 2025 construction start for the then $3.6-billion build was likely. At the time, officials said the cost of the project was fully pledged.

However, the scheme has since overrun on projected cost to more than $5 billion, and the CTA reported it would sell bonds to cover the difference. The agency noted, in particular, the extension of the rail to 130th Street (the Mainline Project) led to the cost overrun.

“The project’s budget has increased to $5.3 billion, which includes financing expenses, to cover cost increases for construction materials, labour and financing,” acknowledged the CTA. “CTA is moving forward with the project to fulfil the long-ago promise to the Far South Side that the RLE would be built.

“Delaying the project would potentially increase the budget by several billions of dollars.”

Construction is still expected to start next year with a completion date scheduled for 2030.