Chicago’s transit future just missed its train.
State legislators wrapped their spring session this weekend without passing a critical funding and reform package meant to plug a $770 million hole in the Regional Transportation Authority’s 2026 budget, as reported by WTTW. Now, with federal COVID relief money set to expire, the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace are staring down a fiscal cliff—and the consequences could be dire.
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If nothing changes, officials warn the region could see 40-percent system-wide service cuts beginning in 2026, along with nearly 3,000 layoffs. The CTA alone may be forced to shut down half of its L lines and eliminate 60-percent of its bus routes, a move that would cut off service for 500,000 Chicagoans and strand 260,000 workers. RTA leaders have called it a “regional emergency.”
The funding fix that almost was was a bill championed by state Senator Ram Villivalam that paired governance reform with a bundle of controversial taxes, including a $1.50 delivery fee on food and packages and a rideshare surcharge. It passed the Senate late Saturday, but never made it to a House vote before the deadline struck midnight.
“It's clear that many in both the House and Senate support transit,” said RTA spokesperson Tina Fassett Smith, per WGN. “Balancing regional interests is challenging, but we are ready to continue our work to achieve consensus and deliver a solution.”
Under the proposed legislation, the RTA would’ve been restructured as the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, overseeing a unified fare system and capital planning across the three transit agencies. Governor JB Pritzker expressed support for reforms but emphasized that funding without accountability is a non-starter. “You can’t put money into something that doesn’t guarantee [safety and reliability] at the start,” he said, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The fallout could ripple well beyond city limits. Metra may slash early and late trains, Pace could drop weekend service and ADA paratransit would shrink by two-thirds. The region could lose an estimated $2.6 billion in GDP annually and see 90 million fewer transit trips.
There’s still hope lawmakers will reconvene this summer for a special session—but for now, the clock is ticking, and public transit riders are stuck waiting at the platform.