Off Track: Illinois Legislature Still Needs to Pass Public Transit Legislation

ELPC will keep working with our environmental and labor partners to push for a legislative solution as soon as possible to save the public transit system.

By Lena Guerrero Reynolds, Communications & Policy Advocate

Passengers depart from a Metra platform on the UPN line

Chicagoland’s transit agencies (CTA, Metra, and Pace) are facing a funding crisis that could result in devastating 40% service cuts in a matter of months. As ridership is still rebounding from pandemic lows, fares will not be enough to support the system when federal relief money runs out, and the system needs time to adjust to new travel patterns. Seeing this coming, ELPC has been working with a broad coalition of partners for the past couple of years to push for legislation that would both fund and reform the system.

Our goal has been to shape a safer, more accountable, and more reliable public transit system, so we can rebuild ridership and improve sustainable transportation. Unfortunately, the Illinois General Assembly was unable to pass the legislation through both houses before the end of session on May 31^st. Here’s what that means and the next steps ahead to save the system.

Join ELPC to stay tuned

Rally to Fix & Fund Transit
Thursday, June 26, 2025 – 12pm noon
238 S. Riverside Plaza, Chicago (east side of Union Station)

RSVP for Rally Here

What transit improvements are we fighting for?

Earlier this spring, lawmakers introduced two bills to reform the transit system in Northeastern Illinois: the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act (MMA), backed by the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (including ELPC), and the United We Move bill, backed by the Labor Alliance for Public Transportation. Recognizing the common ground between the two bills, advocates sat down together with lawmakers for weeks to negotiate a new bill that could set us on the right path when paired with $1.5 billion in new funds. Here’s what’s in the reform package, supported by a united front of labor and environmental groups:

A regionally-oriented, rider-centered system – The Northern Illinois Transportation Authority (NITA) will streamline operations and reduce overlapping. Unified fares, schedules, and planning will help riders easily transfer between different modes of transit on CTA, Metra, and Pace throughout the region.
Multi-tiered safety improvements – The bill would create a new interagency task force of law enforcement, establish a transit ambassadors program, and a safety council to make further recommendations.
Downstate benefits – Additional funding and a new interagency coordinating committee will help agencies improve service, advance development, and work with one another while connecting to passenger rail.
Accountability, reliability, & accessibility – Board members will be experienced, representative, and accountable to the public. New data-driven service standards will guide funding decisions, not archaic formulas. The coalition fought hard to protect and improve some of the most important transit tools for people with disabilities across the region.
Transit & trail-oriented development – By making it easier to build homes and businesses by transit and multi-use paths, we can increase ridership and economic development. Transit, walking, and biking become the easy choice when amenities are close.

What happened in Springfield?

ELPC joins Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition partners in Springfield for Climate Lobby Day

At the end of May, both houses of the General Assembly introduced legislation containing the reform package, but they took different paths towards funding. The House bill (SB 2111) was just about reform, and it successfully passed out of committee, but they planned to pass funding legislation separately. The Senate bill included both funding and reform (HB 3438), prompting a lot of last-minute debate and negotiation over specific funding sources. Advocates garnered nearly 900 witness slips in a matter of hours, on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon, and the bill passed the Senate later that night.

We have come so far this spring. Our coalition gathered hundreds of letters from constituents to their lawmakers, testified to multiple levels of government, got the word out in the media, and brought together different stakeholders and communities across the state to shape really strong legislation. Our legislative champions have done incredible work navigating negotiations and unpacking complex conversations, but were unable to bridge the gap between the two chambers in time.

What happens to our transit now?

Projected cuts to Pace & CTA bus systems in Northeastern Illinois (click to see full MPC analysis)

CTA, Metra, Pace, and RTA will have to roll back service improvement efforts that are underway, including Metra’s Regional Rail plan, Pace’s Pulse bus rapid transit expansion, and CTA’s new 10-minute frequent bus network. Instead of making things better, staff will have to devote their summer and fall to planning for funding cuts, mass layoffs, and 40% service cuts by early next year. They will hold hearings this summer to finalize what routes get cut, but there is no good way to cut that much service. If we can’t reverse course soon, these service cuts will devastate the system, hurt our economy, and cut off whole communities from critical services.

Projected cuts to Metra & CTA train systems in Northeastern Illinois (click to see full MPC analysis)

In just the first year, our region could lose $2.6 billion in gross domestic product, and 500,000 bus riders would be cut off from their local stops. Putting that figure in perspective: the Kennedy Expressway carries only 250,000 cars a day! Just imagine how much more traffic we’ll all have to deal with if thousands are pushed to driving more.

What can Illinoisans do to help?

Fortunately, there is still time to get on the right path. ELPC is still in the fight for transit, pushing lawmakers for a legislative solution as soon as possible. We’ll be thanking the Senators who voted to pass the legislation, attending those upcoming transit hearings, and seizing every opportunity to get the word out. The sooner Illinois passes a bill, the sooner we can save the system. Join our email list here to be kept in the loop.

Rally to Fix & Fund Transit
Thursday, June 26, 2025 – 12pm noon
238 S. Riverside Plaza, Chicago (east side of Union Station)

RSVP for Rally Here

We can save public transit in Illinois, we can make it work better for generations to come. But it will take all of us. Every day we delay is another day wasted planning cuts instead of improvements, making it harder to build back from. Now is the time to get loud and to tell your lawmakers that transit is essential.

Lena Guerrero Reynolds,

Communications & Policy Advocate

Lena Guerrero Reynolds is the Communications & Policy Advocate at ELPC, where she works to educate and update our supporters with our victories and impact.