Senate transit forum Friday in DuPage lets riders share vision for trains, buses

If your Metra, Pace or CTA trip could be improved, a golden opportunity awaits.

Riders can share concerns and offer suggestions Friday in Naperville when state senators hold a hearing on the future of public transit.

The Senate’s Transportation Committee will meet at 10 a.m. at Naperville City Hall, 400 S. Eagle St. There also will be forums on Aug. 28 and Sept. 18 at other locations.

Friday’s meeting is the third in a series of Transportation Committee forums across the region this summer. The topic is “the state of transit and how it supports community quality of life.”

The meeting comes with a $730 million transit funding shortfall anticipated in 2026 when COVID-19 federal funding runs out. Ridership tanked during the pandemic and has not fully recovered.

Also looming is proposed legislation in the General Assembly to merge Metra, Pace, the CTA and Regional Transportation Authority.

State leaders want riders to share their opinions during the hearing.

“Our No. 1 priority is we need to make the case for public transit to the general public,” state Sen. Ram Villivalam, Transportation Committee chairman, previously has told the Daily Herald. “We need to make sure that we’re building a transit system for the year 2050 and not just plugging a hole.”

“We want to hear from folks as to their thoughts on both the current structure and also the new structure that was proposed. We want everyone to have a voice,” the Chicago Democrat said.

The legislation seeks to dissolve the Metra, Pace, CTA and RTA boards, and create one, 19-member Metropolitan Mobility Authority board.

Proponents say the change would create efficiencies and improve service with products such as a universal fare. However, some suburban leaders have expressed concern about losing representation with a mega-agency.

Meanwhile, bridging the revenue gap is another quagmire with potential solutions ranging from increasing gas taxes or tolls to raising fares.