Early this morning, the Illinois State Legislature passed a bill that provides a transformational level of funding for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). As a result of this bill, CTA will be fully funded. This funding means that there will be no layoffs or service cuts. With these funds, we will expand our bus and rail service, invest in new technologies, and implement new strategies to support our riders and employees. Today, CTA’s workforce levels and service delivery rates are higher than they have been in years — and we stand ready to take on this historic investment and take CTA to even greater heights.
As CTA’s acting president, leading the 11,400 employees who provide our riders with one million rides per day, I am incredibly thankful to our state legislative leaders, the Chicago Transit Board, the leadership of Amalgamated Transit Union Locals 241 and 308, transit advocates and others for their dedication to advocating for funding in Springfield over the last several years. I’ve had the privilege of working with many of these dedicated individuals during this process and have seen first-hand their commitment to securing a better, stronger financial future for our agency.
CTA is excited for the bright future that lays ahead and we extend our deepest appreciation to everyone whose worked so hard to support public transit in the Chicago region.