Transit: Plan of Action for Regional Transit

Strengthening transit in northeastern Illinois for the next generation

Big, bold solutions are needed to secure the financial viability of our region’s transit system. Through all the changes the system has experienced, one central fact remains true: A successful transit system is critical to the success of the region, its economy, health, and environment.

To address these changes, a diverse group of leaders from across northeastern Illinois drafted a Plan of Action for Regional Transit (PART) with recommendations that can help the region invest in a stronger and more financially secure transit system.

PART created a vision that was delivered through transformative legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly. Senate Bill 2111 established the stable funding and governance reforms needed to sustain and strengthen public transportation across the region. This averts the region’s looming transit fiscal cliff — a projected operating shortfall that threatened deep service cuts, fare increases, and economic impacts for millions of riders — and replaces it with a sustainable, long-term solution.

What PART addresses

Financial viability and funding

The structure that funds our transit system does not match today’s needs. Funds are distributed based on formulas set in statute more than 40 years ago. And state law requires the transit system use fares to cover half of operating costs. Keeping that requirement would lead to damaging service cuts in today’s post-pandemic region.

Rider experience

Transit is fundamentally about people. The system can and should continue to better serve the people who rely on it every day, with investments in safe, secure, frequent, reliable, and affordable service throughout the region.

Governance

Long term, sustainable solutions require coordination across the entire regional system, including discussions about implementing these solutions within a system that has three overlapping transit providers — Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, and Pace.

Community and economic development

Policies and programs that promote development near transit can help close socioeconomic gaps and enhance community development and recovery (e.g., incentivizing transit-supportive land use within the context of existing transit centers).

Explore PART

Delve into the transit system the region wants. In the PART StoryMap, you’ll discover ideas on how our region can improve the speed and reliability of the bus system, better integrate transit service providers, and improve the accessibility of transit stations. Interactive maps, data visualizations, and detailed explanations will cover various aspects of PART, including current transit conditions, planned improvements, and the expected impact on communities.

PART StoryMap Opens in a new tab

Next steps for transit funding

CMAP analyzed the current outlook for transit funding in northeastern Illinois within the context of the challenges ahead and the goals articulated in PART.

Key takeaways include:

• People expect more, not less. Residents and leaders want frequent, reliable, affordable transit that connects them to jobs, schools, healthcare, and community life.
• Act now to secure adequate and sustainable funding. Adequate and sustainable funding is the only path to a stable, modern system that can serve the region for decades to come.
• Fully fund the system the region wants. Every additional program or requirement adds costs that must be matched with funding to achieve a truly transformative system.
• Adequate and sustainable revenues are essential. Funding must close the projected $200 million shortfall in 2026 and grow to meet rising costs over time.
• Sales tax modernization is a major opportunity. Updating the sales tax to reflect today’s economy offers one of the most powerful tools to secure long-term transit investment.

Recommendations

PART recommendations were developed with the support of these memos, which take a deeper dive into the issues that are critical to the future success of the region’s transit system.

System improvements:

• Better buses
• Cleanliness
• Demand-responsive transit services 
• Fare affordability
• Fare integration
• Fare levels
• Regional rail
• Restoring and investing in transit service
• Safety and security
• System accessibility
• Transit-supportive land use and development

Revenue options:

• Federal
• State
• Flexing federal funds
• Paratransit
• Road system revenues
• Sales tax
• 2025 policy update

Governance (prepared in partnership with the Eno Center for Transportation):

• Case studies on transit governance in peer regions
• Interviews with regional transit stakeholders
• Governance models for northeastern Illinois