CTA Adds 4G Service to Red, Blue Lines

CHICAGO, IL - Underground riders in Chicago now have an easier way to connect with the outside world on their way to and from work.

4G wireless service coverage is now installed throughout the CTA’s two largest lines.

Installation of the advanced service on the Red Line and Blue Line was completed recently, the CTA announced Tuesday. The completion made Chicago the largest city in North America to have full 4G wireless service across its entire subway system, since the Red and Blue lines are the only ones that go underground.

“The completion of 4G wireless installation through the entire CTA subway system marks a major step forward in the service we provide Chicagoans, and is the latest step in building a world-class transit system in Chicago,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “This is a great example of the good work the Infrastructure Trust and corporate partners can do for Chicago. CTA customers can now easily text, email and stream anywhere, making commuting on the CTA and traveling between downtown even more convenient.”

The design and installation of the new service brought in approximately 50 jobs, according to the CTA.

“4G wireless communications is just one of the cornerstones of the CTA’s commitment to investing in technology,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said. “This coverage increases safety by providing more reliable communications for CTA personnel and emergency responders, and it complements other technologies that are enhancing the way we commute, including expanded transit tracker information and the installation of more than 23,000 security cameras throughout our bus and rail system.”

Four service providers - T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint - financed the modernization and will pay the CTA a flat rate each year to lease space in the subway tunnels to run the 4G service, according to the Chicago Tribune.