A representative from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning presented the organization’s Plan of Action for Regional Transit, aiming to address the transit system’s impending 2026 fiscal cliff at a listening session Monday.
The event was hosted by State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview), Illinois House Majority Leader and State Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) and State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview).
Chicago’s public transit system is facing a projected $770 million budget shortfall stemming from a loss of federal COVID-19 funding subsidies. Transit operators predict this could lead to significant service cuts across Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace lines.
“There’s been a lot of publicity and a lot of awareness about the fiscal cliff that’s a looming crisis,” Gabel said. “Without new solutions, we risk major service cuts that could devastate workers, families and businesses.”
As opposed to considering immediate funding solutions, many lawmakers see this as an opportunity to reform what they consider a flawed transit system.
There are two major camps: One in favor of merging the CTA, Metra, Pace and Regional Transportation Authority, which currently oversees the other agencies, into a larger Metropolitan Mobility Authority, and another seeking to strengthen the RTA’s control. These two plans are compared side-by-side in PART.
CMAP Principal Policy Analyst Elizabeth Scott said the organization doesn’t favor one over the other but recognizes the importance of a strengthened central agency.
“If we have a regional table where we talk about how resources for transit are going to be used, I believe that it will be possible to make bigger and more ambitious investments and to bring better service to people over time, because we will have eliminated some of the silos that currently exist,” Scott said.
PART was initially presented in Springfield in December 2023, after an act from the state legislature called for the organization to formulate a preemptive plan to address the crisis. Gabel said the legislature is still deliberating but aims to reach a consensus before May 31, when RTA will begin planning service reductions.
Scott said PART includes three sections about a better transit system, funding sources and implementation, respectively. She said envisioning an optimal transit system before considering revenue sources is crucial to the plan’s success.
“It was going to be really hard to have a conversation with folks about how we raise a great deal of money to support the transit system if it was to raise money to get us what we had last year that people were somewhat unhappy with anyway,” Scott said. “Let’s build together a vision of what we could have, and then put a price tag on how much that would cost.”
As part of these revisions, PART focuses on integrating fare systems, promoting coordination along transit lines and bolstering public confidence, among other improvements.
CMAP has projected that this enhanced transit system would cost $1.5 billion in new public operating investments and at least $400 million annually in complementary capital investments. Scott said they are considering numerous additional sources of revenue, including incrementally raising fares and implementing a state-wide sales tax modernization program.
Scott emphasized that strong governance is key to ensuring these changes are executed effectively.
“It’s about creating the conditions for everyone to be successful, especially in the event that we make this transformational investment,” Scott said.
Residents who attended the meeting expressed their desire for a functioning and renewed transit system. They proposed numerous funding solutions and alternative visions for Chicago area transit, including congestion pricing, carbon taxation, distance-related fares and micro-mobility services like electric scooters.
Fine said the budgeting process in the state legislature was somewhat uncertain due to “curveballs” from the federal government, but they are still forging ahead and are grateful to receive community input.
“We believe in public transit, but it needs to serve the public,” Gong-Gershowitz added.
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