Chicago’s Broadway substation dates back to the 1920s with most of its power equipment installed in the 1960s. As a result, the Chicago Transit Authority looked to upgrade this substation as part of its ambitious $2.1 billion, five-year Red-Purple Modernization infrastructure project to improve service for these two heavily used lines on the city’s famous elevated train system. This 5,736-square-foot substation provides traction power for four tracks along a two-mile stretch of the city’s North Side. Upgrades were a critical aspect of the program to increase equipment capacity and maintain reliability for CTA’s 1.7 million daily riders.

STV was contracted by CTA to provide construction management services for the substation upgrade, including design change review, cost and scheduling, inspection, compliance monitoring and system outage coordination, as the project required the fabrication and installation of AC/DC switchgears, rectifiers and transformers. The aging substation also required extensive rehabilitation of its exterior masonry and roof, and the replacement of electrical systems, lighting, and HVAC  along with a new interior slab to provide structural support for the new equipment. A century-old building, the facility contained PCBs, transite conduits and asbestos insulation, and hazardous materials which required abatement.