https://ift.tt/1gwIBHo

<p>The Regional Transit Authority plans to spend the first batch of historic transit law money on expanded security and service for the CTA, Metra and Pace.</p><p>RTA officials outlined in a Thursday board meeting how more than half of the expected $300 million in new cash would be used to address safety and service, each <a class="Link" href="https://ift.tt/XO6wIxi&quot; target="_blank" >identified as priorities in a survey</a> of Chicago transit riders.</p><p>The new money will start kicking in June 1, when the RTA is replaced by NITA, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, which will have expanded powers over the transit agencies it oversees. That money will be raised by hiking the RTA sales tax by 0.25% and diverting 5% of the gas sales tax to transit.</p><p>The biggest chunk of cash, $20 million, will extend funding through the end of the year to cover the elevated number of Chicago police officers patrolling the CTA, Maulik Vaishnav, RTA’s director of planning, told the board.</p><p>There are currently 180 CPD officers working the department’s volunteer overtime transit unit, Vaishnav said. The CTA and CPD <a class="Link" href="https://ift.tt/RSid0L8&quot; target="_blank" >raised the number of officers</a> patrolling the system in December and March in response to a funding threat from the federal government.</p><p>Another $10 million will go to funding expanded K-9 patrols on CTA, Vaishnav said.</p><p>On Metra, nearly $4 million will go to adding 14 Metra police officers, and six sergeants and captains. That money will also go to new body cameras and adding late-night security on the BNSF line.</p><p>About $12 million will go to the Cook County sheriff’s office, which began patrolling the CTA Red Line in March as part of the CTA’s revised safety program.</p><p>Another $2.5 million will go to the sheriff’s office <a class="Link" href="https://ift.tt/1EIcn2b&quot; target="_blank" >to create a public safety task force</a>, which will be tasked with creating a security plan for Chicago-area transit. The task force is a requirement of the NITA law, and could <a class="Link" href="https://ift.tt/1EIcn2b&quot; target="_blank" >eventually decide if NITA creates its own transit police force</a>.</p><p>Beyond safety, the updated RTA budget includes tens of millions of dollars for service improvements, many of which are already in the works. Ten million dollars each will go to fix CTA slow zone and rail car maintenance. A million dollars will go to automated bus lane enforcement expansion, and $3 million will go to improving bus schedule reliability on 35 routes.</p><p>The RTA is also setting aside more than $5 million to modernize transit signs and provide real-time updates on elevator statuses across the three transit agencies.</p><p>The budget also includes $10 million to expand a Metra reduced fare pilot for low-income to the CTA and Pace. </p><p>The board expects to vote next month on amending its 2026 budget, which they first approved in December. The NITA law was <a class="Link" href="https://ift.tt/1B9DIQM&quot; target="_blank" >passed in Springfield</a> last fall and was <a class="Link" href="https://ift.tt/7Gvkd4V&quot; target="_blank" >signed by Gov. JB Pritzker</a> in December.</p><div class="RelatedList Enhancement" data-module data-align-center>
<div class="RelatedList-title">Related</div>
<ul class="RelatedList-items">
<li class="RelatedList-items-item">
<a class="Link" href="https://ift.tt/EQWz5Nq&quot; target="_blank" >Violent attacks surge on CTA as Trump threatens $50 million funding cut over transit crime</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p></p>

Feeds,News,Region: Chicago,Chi ST

via Chicago Sun-Times – News https://ift.tt/xuA5EXz

April 16, 2026 at 02:24PM