Chicago Is Building the Next Era of Transit

LEANNE REDDEN
APTA Chair
Executive Director
Chicago Regional Transportation Authority

As the June 1 launch of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) approaches, the Chicago region is in the middle of one of the most consequential transit transitions in the country.

Legislation that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed late last year did more than close a budget gap with a transformational additional $1.2 billion in annual operating funding. It replaced years of short-term uncertainty with the stable funding, governance reforms, and accountability needed to build a world-class transit system. While we worked for many years and owe thanks to countless stakeholders who helped our system avert a disastrous fiscal cliff, we are now moving into the next phase: implementation.

At the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), our work this spring is focused on a transition that focuses on improvements for riders in the areas they tell us matter most: safety, service, and seamless rider experience, all while setting the future regional agency—NITA—up for long-term success. This historic investment comes with a responsibility to get it right. NITA must deliver results that riders can see and feel in their daily lives. To achieve that, we are focused on the following:

Regional Unity

For decades, chronic underfunding has forced our region’s transit agencies to compete for resources rather than plan as a unified system. NITA changes that. The new agency will be led by a 20-member board, with members who will also sit on the boards of CTA, Metra, and Pace, and who must view a Metra rider in the suburbs and a CTA rider in Chicago as part of the same regional economy, because they are. With the new boards for all four transit agencies being seated this summer, we have a unique opportunity to bring a shared mindset and vision to this work. There will no longer be three separate service boards competing for dollars, but instead, one integrated network working together.

Service First

The additional operating funding to come is not a blank check. It is a mandate for improvement. Under NITA, funding will soon be distributed based on regional service standards. This means incentivizing success by measuring and linking funding to on-time performance, cleanliness, and connectivity rather than previously mandated formulas. While it will take a couple of years to fully realize it across the system, riders should experience a truly integrated “one-fare” system. Our responsibility is to ensure that every dollar invested during this transition translates into more frequent, cleaner, and better service and an overall more seamless journey for every rider down the road.

Safety as the Foundation

We cannot expect to grow ridership if people do not feel safe. The rapid creation of a regional Law Enforcement Task Force, led by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and an Office of Transit Safety and Experience is a vital step toward a uniform safety strategy. These groups of experts will provide recommendations by the end of this year, giving us a clearer road map for a long-term transit security model that prioritizes riders’ and operators’ well-being and peace of mind. Additionally, a region-wide transit ambassador program will mean riders will see more staff focused on creating a welcoming environment on the system by mid-2027.

The Road Ahead

Delivering on this promise will take time and care. Change of this scale does not happen overnight, but the “fiscal cliff” that we were inching perilously close to has been replaced by a bridge to the future. Our focus now is on a transparent and deliberate transition. Moving away from a mindset of survival and toward one of growth.

If we lead with regional coordination and a relentless focus on the rider, northern Illinois will not just have a transit system brought back from the edge of the fiscal cliff—we will have one that is the gold standard for the nation.