Pulse Halsted Line

South Halsted Bus Corridor Enhancement Project

Pace Suburban Bus and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) are collaborating to improve public transportation along South Halsted Street. They’ve completed a study to evaluate transit needs and identify improvements to better serve local communities while enhancing connections to the regional transit network.

Pace and CTA are currently developing proposed improvements, evaluating potential impacts, and seeking input from communities, agencies, and the public.

Proposed improvements include:

New buses
New and improved stations that are easy and safe to get to
Faster, more frequent Pace and CTA service, including Pace’s premium new Pulse service
Roadway and traffic signal improvements to help keep buses on schedule
Improved connections to other transit services

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Halsted Line FAQs

Halsted Line - Location

The project corridor consists of approximately 11 miles of South Halsted Street, from the Pace Harvey Transportation Center to 79th Street, and includes segments of 79th and 95th Streets that provide connections to the CTA Red Line 79th and 95th/Dan Ryan stations. The project corridor serves the communities of Harvey, Phoenix, Calumet Park, Riverdale, Dixmoor and the City of Chicago neighborhoods of West Pullman, Morgan Park, Roseland, Washington Heights, and Auburn Gresham.

Pulse Halsted Line Map

Current transit service in the project area is provided by CTA routes #108 and #8A and by Pace routes #348, #350, #352 and #359. Numerous other CTA and Pace bus routes overlap part of the corridor providing connecting services. The corridor also intersects with Metra’s Rock Island Line at the Gresham Station, Metra Electric Line at the West Pullman and Harvey Stations, and the CTA Red Line at the 79th and 95th/Dan Ryan Stations.

Image of coming soon banner for South Halsted Pulse line

Halsted Line - Project Process and Schedule

The South Halsted Bus Corridor Enhancement Project was initiated in early 2018 by Pace and CTA to identify and evaluate potential bus service improvements. With the help of a Corridor Advisory Group (CAG) -- consisting of community leaders, elected officials, regional government entities, and transit agencies -- Pace and CTA identified local concerns regarding transit access and mobility in the project area and developed preliminary plans for improvements outlined in the Corridor Evaluation, Recommendations, and Project Strategy Final Report.

In 2019, Pace and CTA moved forward with a more in-depth study of the corridor, refining the proposed improvements. As part of this process, the project is following federal regulations to analyze potential environmental impacts and seek public input to develop transit services that best fit the local communities. Public meetings are being held at various points of the project to present project updates and seek public input.

Based on the environmental review and input from local municipalities, agencies, and the public, a final plan for bus enhancements is currently being developed for federal review and approval.

Pending funding, construction is anticipated to begin in 2024, with the goal of having new bus service running by 2026.

Stakeholder and public outreach is ongoing throughout the study process.

Learn more about the study process and schedule.

graphic showing the phases of development between 2018 and 2026

Halsted Line - Where are we now?

On December 5, 2022, Pace submitted a Documented Categorical Exclusion report to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). This report satisfies federal requirements under NEPA legislation by documenting the environmental impacts of the project. Based on this documentation, the FTA confirmed a categorical exclusion for this project on December 20, 2022, enabling Pace to pursue federal funding for the improvements.

The environmental review process was initiated in October 2019. The project is following federal regulations to analyze potential environmental impacts. As part of this process, Pace and CTA are seeking public input on the corridor transit needs; service, running way and station enhancements; analyzing and documenting the project’s anticipated impact on air quality, noise and vibration, as well as ecological, archaeological, and historic resources. Based on this, a refined final plan for bus enhancements will be developed.

Pace and CTA have hosted four Corridor Advisory Group meetings with community leaders and agencies to develop goals for the project, present project findings and environmental impacts, and seek input on proposed improvements.

A public meeting was held on January 9, 2020 to seek public feedback. Attendees expressed interest in improving bus service reliability and frequency, as well as new/improved buses and stations. Public input was used to refine the proposed bus corridor improvements in order to meet the needs of the communities.

A second public meeting was held virtually on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 as well. Pace and CTA presented project updates and changes that were made to the proposed improvements based on public, municipal, and agency feedback - and attendees were able to share their thoughts and questions with the project team.

Watch the video of the meeting:

For questions, please call the project hotline at 847-364-3962.

What will happen to my current bus service?

Proposed enhancements along South Halsted are intended to complement current bus services, not replace them. Current bus services in the project area include CTA routes #108 and #8A and Pace Routes 348, 350, 352 and 359. Possible improvements to your trip include faster and more frequent service as well as new or improved stations.