Chicago transit budget crisis deepens as funding stalls in Springfield
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CTA trains in the Loop in 2024. Photo: Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
After months of grave warnings by Chicago-area transit leaders, unions and commuters, the Illinois General Assembly passed a $55 billion budget without the funding and reform agencies hoped for.
Why it matters: Leaders warned they need $1.5 billion to prevent service cuts and layoffs at CTA, Metra and Pace.
State of play: The Senate approved a proposal Saturday that would create a new governing body for Chicago-area transit as well as revenue from a fee on Uber Eats, Amazon, and other online food and retail deliveries.
Yes, but: The House failed to take it up.
Catch up quick: The Regional Transit Authority (RTA), which oversees CTA, Metra commuter rail and Pace suburban bus service, launched the "Save Transit Now" campaign in April, which encouraged riders to tell state legislators to include transit funding in the 2026 budget.
- A $770 million budget shortfall resulted from the expiration of COVID-era federal funding and a decline in ridership to pre-pandemic levels.
Friction point: Lawmakers repeated throughout the session that state funding would not come without reform, saying a streamlined governing body was needed as well as better efforts to address safety on trains and buses.
Additionally, the perennial issue in budget negotiations was at play, as downstate lawmakers pushed back against any legislation that would tax their districts to fund services their constituents don't use.
Zoom out: The bill that passed the Senate included a new agency called Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA), which would replace RTA to oversee CTA, Metra, and Pace.
- NITA would have the authority to set and coordinate fares, allowing riders to use one fare card for all services.
- It also includes plans for a task force of officers from the Cook County Sheriff's Office, and Chicago, Metra and Illinois State Police dedicated to crime mitigation on transit.
What they're saying: RTA spokesperson Tina Fassett Smith said in a statement that, "Balancing regional interests is challenging, but we are ready to continue our work to achieve consensus and deliver a solution."
- "In the coming weeks, the RTA will work with the Service Boards on a regional budget that by law must only include funding we are confident the system will receive in 2026," Smith said.
- Saturday's inaction "jeopardizes Illinois transit systems with expected cuts, massive layoffs, and service disruptions," Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea said in a statement, adding that riders and workers are now "left concerned about the future of our communities."
Between the lines: Pritzker said Sunday funding transit quickly is imperative, but took a shot at RTA's $750,000 "Save Transit Now" campaign.
- "I also would say that they'd have more money in their coffers if they hadn't spent money advertising here in Springfield to try to convince people of something that they really should be leaving to the legislators to decide," the governor said at a press conference.
What's next: Pritzker said transit funding remains a priority and expects lawmakers to revisit the issue in the coming months.
- "Our office will be present in those [meetings] and be helping in any way that we're asked," he said.