The Red-Purple Bypass (RPB) Project eliminated a 100-year-old junction north of the Belmont station that created a bottleneck in Red and Purple Line service. Replacing this junction is the Red-Purple Bypass, which allows Brown Line trains to operate along dedicated tracks above the Red and Purple Line tracks. After the CTA put the new bypass into service in 2021, the agency then rebuilt the century-old Red and Purple Line track structure between Belmont and Newport/Cornelia. The reconstruction of the elevated track was completed in May 2025.
Benefits of the project include:
- Smoother more reliable service
- Fewer delays
- Relief of chronic overcrowding on the trains and rail platforms
- Reduced noise at street level
- A brighter, cleaner, safer and more pleasant pedestrian environment