Chicago — Ogden Streetcar Study

Rail Transit Online, August 2004

The Chicago Transit Board on July 14 approved a contract with Parsons Transportation Group, Inc. to perform an alternatives analysis study for the proposed Ogden Transitway Project.   The proposal is being driven by U.S. Rep. William Lipinski, who represents many of the West Side neighborhoods that would be served, and he prefers an electric streetcar line.  The route would link the North Riverside Mall at Harlem and Cermak to the Illinois Medical District, downtown and Navy Pier through the Ogden Avenue and Carroll Avenue corridors.  The nine-month study, which will look at cost options for various modes including bus rapid transit, is the first step in obtaining federal funding from the FTA’s New Start program.  “The Ogden Avenue project could serve as a catalyst for further transit-oriented economic revitalization of the communities through which it travels,” said Chicago Transit Board Chairman Carole Brown. “This study will determine the best way to meet the future transit needs of the communities in these corridors.”  

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