"Unprecedented cuts": Chicago could see major public transit cuts, RTA warns

Why it matters: Transit leaders have foreshadowed the more than $770 million fiscal cliff expected next year, but this is the first time specific service cuts have been detailed to this extent.

• RTA says cuts will leave one in five Chicagoans without transit for their daily commute, no weekend service for Pace riders and the loss of nearly 3,000 transit-related jobs.
• The agency warns those changes would just be in the first year and likely exacerbate.

State of play: The price to avoid all the service cuts and affiliated damage is an additional $1.5 billion for the annual operating budget, according to RTA.

• This year, RTA's budget is about $4.1 billion with about 17% of that coming from the state.
• Nearly 30% of New York City's mass transit budget comes from state dollars, and state dollars fund about half of Philadelphia's budget.

What they're saying: "It's a regional emergency," RTA executive director Leanne Redden said in a statement. "If the General Assembly does not act this spring, hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans will wake up in 2026 without a way to get to work, school or medical appointments with continued uncertainty in future years about their transit services."

The other side: "Through seven Illinois Senate Transportation Committee Hearings with approximately 30 hours of testimony, we have heard directly from business, union, environmental, and good government groups along with numerous local elected officials about the importance of funding our public transit system," state Sen. Ram Villivalam tells Axios in a statement.

• "Members of the Senate Transportation Committee have been clear. There will be no funding without reform … we aim to deliver legislation that ensures an improved level of service, a governance system that holds the delivery of that service to account, and adequate funding."

Zoom in: Reform is in line with what RTA wants too, spokesperson Melissa Meyer tells Axios. "Revenue and reforms are needed to achieve the transit system our region wants and needs," an RTA memo from Friday says.

• Reforms outlined include transit agencies providing RTA with quarterly reports on service quality and directing any new funding beyond filling the budget gap toward improving and expanding service — not for administrative or management positions.

Between the lines: Villivalam and other lawmakers introduced the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act last year which would combine CTA, Metra, Pace and RTA to create a more streamlined system with one budget rather than the fragmented revenue and expenditures that come with four agencies.

Yes, but: Leaders of those agencies have largely opposed the legislation.

• The bill is not assigned to a committee as lawmakers meet with stakeholders to make any necessary changes before advancing it, a spokesperson for Senate Democrats tells Axios.

By the numbers: 500,000 CTA riders could be without a bus stop as CTA estimates 74 of its 127 bus routes would be cut.

• At least half of the CTA's eight rail lines would see service cuts.
• Weekday Metra trains would run once per hour and every two hours on weekends.
• Weekend Pace bus service would be reduced. Pace's ADA-transit would run but shrink by more than 60% on weekends.

What's next: CTA workers are canvassing Wednesday during morning and evening rush hours at Damen, Jefferson Park and Forest Park Blue Line stations, as well as at the Howard and 95th Street Red Line stations to raise awareness of potential cuts.

• RTA is also encouraging the public to attend its board meeting on Thursday.