Arriving next year at the CTA O'Hare stop: a new escalator.
The CTA plans to replace the escalator damaged in March when a Blue Line train derailed and crashed into the platform. Thirty-two people were injured in the accident, and the operator of the train was fired after she admitted that she had dozed off at the controls.
CTA spokeswoman Ibis Antongiorgi said the new escalator is currently in design and will be installed sometime in 2015. A final construction schedule is in development. The escalator cost has not yet been determined, Antongiorgi said.
"Our goal is to have the escalator reinstalled as soon as possible," Antongiorgi said in an email to RedEye.
The O'Hare stop was closed for nearly a week after the crash to repair the damage, which totaled $9 million. The destroyed escalator was replaced with a staircase. Currently, there is one escalator and two staircases that connect the platform to the turnstiles.
The station's traffic flow setup likely will experience its greatest test next month. Traditionally, the O'Hare Blue Line stop logs its highest ridership total for the year on the Friday before the Chicago Marathon, which usually draws 40,000-plus runners and about 1.7 million spectators.
Last year, there were 15,221 entries at the O'Hare stop on Oct. 11, the Friday before the marathon, according to CTA data. On that day in 2012, there were 16,175 entries.
The O'Hare stop logged about 10,000 rides on a typical weekday last year.
Some 45,000 runners are expected for this year's Chicago Marathon, which will take place Oct. 12.