Will transit be cut by 40%? Metra, Pace and CTA pushed to the brink
The fate of Chicagoland public transit hangs in the balance this week as legislators rethink how Metra, Pace and the CTA will be governed and funded.
“Our goal is to have the governance reform and funding pieces resolved by the end of the legislative session to deliver residents in the Regional Transportation Authority region a system that is safe, reliable, accessible, environmentally conscious, economically impactful and accountable to taxpayers,” Senate Transportation Committee Chair Ram Villivalam said Tuesday.
The legislative session ends Saturday.
“While we are making significant progress, conversations among colleagues, advocates, our workers and everyday riders are ongoing as we work to ensure that we provide viable, long-term solutions that will serve our region for decades — not just meet next year’s needs or temporarily fill a budget gap,” the Chicago Democrat added.
Metra, Pace and the CTA are staring down a $770 million budget hole in 2026, at a time when the state faces a cash crunch. Lawmakers have insisted they want reforms that create a more efficient, streamlined regional system.
“I anticipate we will get to a compromise on the governance structure of a new transit authority,” Democratic state Sen. Laura Murphy of Des Plaines said.
But “the funding is a little more challenging.”
One possible fix for transit is enacting a controversial tax on services like haircuts.
Rep. Marty Moylan, chair of the House Transportation Committee for Regulation, Roads and Bridges, was confident Tuesday a new governance system that includes a police force to ramp up safety on the CTA will emerge.
A proposal to abolish the boards of the RTA, Metra, Pace and the CTA, then replace them with one mega-agency faltered in both chambers this spring.
A more popular option that beefs up the RTA’s powers on finances, fares and projects, and keeps the agencies more or less intact, is expected to pass.
What’s in play is whether the four boards of directors governing the agencies will remain and how decision-making will be aligned. Jockeying over how clout would be split between the Collar Counties, Cook and Chicago is a sticking point, officials said.
That could mean late nights, said Moylan, a Des Plaines Democrat. “We’ve been here until midnight before.”
Transit leaders warn a drastic 40% drop in service that slashes trains and bus routes will occur without financial aid by June 1.
“We remain hopeful that lawmakers will end the session by passing both the funding and reform needed to deliver more frequent, safe, and reliable service to all riders,” RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden said.
“For months we have been clear if no funding is provided by May 31, we will be forced to immediately start planning for devastating service cuts. Riders have sent more than 14,000 letters to their legislators urging them to act this session. Without funding certainty, riders will not see the improvements they deserve.”