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CTA seeks design, build firms for RPM

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is seeking qualified firms to begin the first phase of the Red and Purple Modernization Program (RPM).

The firms will design and build the first phase of the project, which CTA says "will significantly modernize, improve and increase rail service in Chicago for decades to come."

The first phase of RPM will rebuild four of the oldest Red Line stations (Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr) and make them fully accessible to people with disabilities and completely reconstruct 1.3 miles of adjacent track structure. RPM Phase One also includes the construction of a rail bypass to unclog a 100-year-old junction where Red, Purple and Brown Line trains currently intersect—allowing CTA to significantly increase the number of trains it can run along the Red Line to reduce overcrowding and meet growing demand for transit service.

As part of a two-step procurement process, the CTA will issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to select a pool of the most qualified contracting teams that can demonstrate the ability to design and build RPM Phase One.

The entire RPM plan, to be completed in multiple phases, will rebuild part of CTA's Red and Purple lines, sections of which are more than a century old. CTA says the tracks, structures and stations are well past their useful lifespan, and can no longer handle additional trains to meet the increasing demands of growing ridership – which is up 40 percent during the rush hours since 2008.

Once a pool of candidates is finalized, expected later this year, CTA will then invite the potential bidders to submit proposals on how they propose designing and building RPM Phase One when the agency issues its Request for Proposals (RFP) in 2018.

The first phase of RPM is expected to create 5,700 construction jobs. CTA will host numerous outreach events to encourage participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)-certified firms and other minority owned firms that wish to participate in the project. Additionally, the project RFP will include a community-based workforce development component.

"In Chicago, the strategic and extensive investments we are making in our city's infrastructure are investments in our residents, our neighborhoods and in our economic future," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "As the CTA 'L' turns 125 years old this week, we're always looking to the future by modernizing to create a world-class transit system that will better serve Chicagoans today and for decades to come."

Original author: Maggie Lancaster, assistant editor

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