Chicago Transportation Authorities Urged to Disclose More Information Regarding Upcoming Service Reductions by the Regional Transportation Authority in Illinois
Chicago-Area Transit Agencies Brace for Potential Cuts as RTA Seeks Urgent Funding Solutions
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) has issued a warning to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, and Pace, urging them to prepare for drastic service cuts starting next year. The RTA is facing a budget gap of up to $771 million as federal pandemic aid runs out, and without additional state funding, the authority has warned of potential cuts of up to 40% to services.
At a recent meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Transit Funding, the RTA directed the three agencies to discuss service cuts in detail, with a focus on providing as much specificity as possible. The CTA, expected to run out of money first, could potentially see around 60% of its bus routes getting slashed, and service could be suspended on whole portions of half of the CTA's 'L' lines.
In a letter sent to his counterparts at the CTA, Metra, and Pace, RTA board Chairman Kirk Dillard also requested that the agencies detail exactly what types of service cuts they plan to make, as well as when service cuts and fare increases will take place and when layoff notices will go out to workers.
The RTA has tried for months to establish a sense of urgency amongst lawmakers in Springfield, with a deadline often being the most powerful motivator for action. The board member Tom Kotarac expressed concern that legislators and the public won't fully understand the magnitude of transit cuts unless they know exactly which bus routes and train lines are going to disappear.
To help push devastating cuts on the CTA back by two or three months into the middle of next year, the RTA has approved the reallocation of $74 million in discretionary funding from Metra and Pace to the CTA next year. However, Metra and Pace will follow, with cuts to the suburban bus service not expected to take place until sometime in 2027.
A previously unaccounted-for boost in sales tax revenue could provide an extra $10 million to $20 million per month, offering a potential lifeline to the struggling transit agencies. The RTA board Chairman Kirk Dillard's letter focuses on keeping the pressure on in Springfield to address a funding and reform solution, with the goal of avoiding a transit crisis in 2026 and beyond.
At the time of writing, representatives for the CTA, Metra, and Pace have not made any comments regarding the situation. The upcoming Oct. 3 meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Transit Funding will provide more insight into the specific bus and train lines that might be removed due to unsecured subsidy funding, as well as the agencies' plans for service cuts and fare increases.
Read also:
- Trade Disputes Escalate: Trump Imposes Tariffs, India Retaliates; threatened boycott ranges from McDonald's, Coca-Cola to iPhones
- Aquatech purchases Koch's Direct Lithium Extraction business, merging Li-ProTM DLE technology into the PEARLTM Technology Platform.
- Nepal's Journey: Evolution from Street Life to Political Power
- Li Auto faces scrutiny after crash test involving i8 model and a truck manufacturer sparks controversy
