It’s time to deliver real transit reform for Illinois
Transit access is an essential component not only of the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Northern Illinois, but of our entire regional economy. As a member of the Illinois General Assembly representing the Northwest suburbs, I am urging my colleagues to act for public transportation in the upcoming fall veto session to ensure its long-term success and to invest in the future of our transit systems.
Without legislative action, the expected $200 million transit budget gap will result in severe service cuts across Metra, Pace and CTA beginning in 2026. Service cuts, combined with route or line eliminations, will significantly diminish our region’s quality of life.
Our commutes are woven into our lives — like clockwork, we rely on the early morning UP-NW Metra train to make it to the office after dropping the kids off at school in Arlington Heights. Our seniors in Palatine know that they can easily get transportation to make it to the doctor. As our teenagers gain independence, we know we can safely put them on the train for a Saturday outing in the city.
Public transportation is a lifeline for many of us, and as a former Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) board member, I feel confident in saying that we need to address our transit fiscal cliff head-on with bold, coordinated action. Our communities deserve the best-in-class transportation and that means making the necessary investments by coupling reforms with the needed revenue structures to fund our systems well into the future.
If we fail to address this now, taxpayers will be on the hook again when the transit fiscal cliff balloons back to $790 million in 2027. We will be forced to reckon with an even worse fiscal cliff, in addition to route and line eliminations, longer and more crowded commutes, more traffic and less time with our families. Failure to act now is a dangerous game of bravado, setting a cycle in motion for the General Assembly to simply postpone tough budget discussions until the absolute, final moment of crisis.
Illinoisans deserve better and are asking for accountability. Any bill we pass must include provisions ranging from steps toward modernizing our transit systems from those who serve on the boards to better coordination among agencies. It is critical that we restore confidence in the system with reliable and frequent service and provide stability into the future through a funding mechanism that can meet the needs of riders in the 21st century.
We are seeing increased accounts in the news of transit workers and passengers losing trust in our transit systems. Our legislation must put safety first. That means investing in personnel, restoring the presence of law enforcement on platforms, and ensuring that every rider — from Joliet to Chicago — feels protected.
Suburban families want to know that their transit system will deliver for them today and for their children and grandchildren of tomorrow. They want to know they will arrive at their destination quickly and efficiently, every time, and without putting their safety at risk. To accomplish that, we need a system that prioritizes agency coordination, aligned with schedules, fares, and an eye toward the future.
As a former Arlington Heights Village Trustee and small business advocate, I know how vital transit is to local economies, from our restaurants and retailers to the larger regional employers. We have a responsibility to treat public transit as the lifeline it is, not just for city dwellers but for everyone in Northern Illinois.
Transit supports over $2.5 billion in economic impact annually. Letting it collapse under the weight of inaction would ripple far beyond the rails — it risks devastating many of our downtowns and communities.
We cannot delay. Veto session begins October 14. Let’s work together — legislators, transit leaders, unions, business groups, and riders — to pass legislation that protects service, modernizes governance and addresses safety head-on. Illinois is watching and our future depends on it.