With a fiscal cliff for the Chicago region’s transit system in the rearview mirror, suburban riders could see a streamlined fare system, more frequent trains and more transit-oriented development, some suburban lawmakers and advocates say, following the recent passage of a $1.5 billion state funding bill for mass transit.
After months of transit talk and failed legislative proposals as the clock ticked to avert an impending fiscal cliff for mass transit in the Chicago region, Illinois lawmakers on Oct. 31 passed a plan that fills the funding gap, adds initiatives meant to bolster safety and prevent planned service cuts and layoffs and overhauls the Chicago region’s mass transit system by creating a new governing body to oversee the CTA, Metra and Pace.
That governing body, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, or NITA, will replace the current Regional Transportation Authority, or RTA. NITA’s board would have 20 members — five each from the city of Chicago, Cook County government, collar counties and the governor. The CTA, Metra and Pace will continue to have their own boards, too.
The legislation, set to go into effect June 1, was sent to the Governor’s Office on Tuesday to be signed.
Before the $1.5 billion deal, initial proposals in the spring for a transit funding plan took some heat and generated significant discussion, including from representatives from the collar counties.
For Dany Robles of the Illinois Environmental Council, moving to Chicago’s northern suburbs from Mexico put him in “culture shock” when it came to the public transit options. He too emphasized the legislation’s aim of expanding options for the suburbs.
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