2024 recap: RTA brings 8 Transit Station Activations throughout region as part of pilot program

In spring 2024, RTA announced more than $120,000 in funding for eight Transit Station Activation projects as part of a pilot program with the goal of improving public safety and a sense of community near CTA, Metra, and Pace stations and stops. Eight Transit Station Activation projects were selected from a group of nearly 20 applicants, and all eight successfully took place throughout 2024, positively impacting many transit riders throughout the region.

Based on surveys taken by activation partners, the majority described the events as successful or very successful and said they positively impacted transit safety and security. Surveys of event attendees share a similar story, with 85% saying events like these station activations make them feel more comfortable using transit.

The Transit Station Activation pilot program was launched following the RTA Public Transit Safety and Security Summit in February 2024. The Summit brought together nearly 80 riders, transit professionals, and stakeholders to explore holistic solutions to the public safety issues the transit system is facing.

Weekly yoga in Uptown

On Friday mornings from July through the end of the year, CTA #36 and #81 bus riders and Red Line passengers through the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago may have caught a glimpse of a dozen or so yogis practicing in a small, triangular patch of grass at Broadway and Lawrence. The free and open-to-all weekly yoga class organized by Uptown United aimed to activate the Uptown Square area, build community, and make transit riders feel safer with more activity going on near bus stops and Red Line construction.

First Friday Music Series in Rogers Park

On the first Friday of August, September, and October, commuters at the Loyola Red Line station enjoyed live music, free food samples, and community engagement hosted by the Rogers Park Business Alliance. The event series offers an opportunity to make new Loyola students feel welcome and get familiar with the business community near their school.

Activate Joliet

Pace Suburban Bus hosted Activate Joliet in August at the Pace Transit Center at the Joliet Gateway Center. More than 100 people enjoyed the free community event, which featured live music, free food, free caricatures, games, and a touch-a-bus experience. The event coincided with Kidz Fest in Joliet.

Live South Asian music in Rogers Park

In September, commuters passing through the Morse Red Line station in Rogers Park enjoyed live music programmed by Mandala Arts, a South Asian performing arts organization. The one-day event was meant to help riders become acquainted with the neighborhoods they pass by in their local community, to allow locals to appreciate the vibrant diversity of the city they live in, and to help commuters feel safer about gathering at the CTA stations.

Woodlawn Plant-Based Festival

Presented by Lillian Augusta Beauty, Gardeneers, Paragon Aromatics, and Chicago Grows Food, the Woodlawn Plant-Based Festival took place in September near the Cottage Grove Green Line station. The free community event featured food, music, games, gardening, face painting, and plant-based vendors.

Reopening of 147^th Street Metra Station in Harvey

Metra hosted a Harvest Fest in November to celebrate the completion of the 147th Street station reconstruction project on the Metra Electric Line in Harvey. Community members gathered for face painting, games, food, and other activities.

Chicago Film Archives home movie projections on Chicago’s West Side

Beginning in December, the Chicago Film Archives began projecting home videos from four local families onto a wall inside CTA’s Cicero Green Line station on the border of West Side neighborhoods Austin and West Garfield Park. The installation tells an authentic story of the West Side and has the power to make people feel a sense of pride in their community on their commute.

Maywood tour and cultural celebration

The Maywood Chamber of Commerce hosted a one-day event that celebrates Maywood's historical and cultural treasures and underscores its accessibility by transit. Attendees enjoyed a guided tour via trolley car to visit key sites including a memorial to the Underground Railroad and a statue of Fred Hampton, who was born in Maywood.