Red Line extension is more than a transportation story

The CTA’s planned Red Line extension would go south of the terminal at 95th Street, the current end of the line. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time)

The current debate about extending the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line to the city limits from its current terminus at 95th Street isn’t just a transportation story. It’s really about the fundamental issues of equity, opportunity and affordability in urban America today.

Of course, the Far South Side needs the Red Line extension so that the 100,000 residents in the immediate service area have access to the same levels of public transit as the rest of Chicago. Moreover, many thousands more in adjacent Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs would also benefit.