IL: Landmark transit funding legislation takes effect today. Here’s what commuters can expect.

It’s full steam ahead on the Chicago area’s regional transit overhaul.

Landmark legislation intended to prevent service cuts on the CTA, Metra and Pace went into effect Monday. The transit law is expected to raise about $1.5 billion for public transit annually. 

“No funding without reform” was the mantra in Springfield as lawmakers debated transit legislation last year, and the new law will also reshape how the CTA, Metra and Pace are governed. The Regional Transportation Authority will be replaced by a new governing body, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. 

Lawmakers, who passed the legislation in the middle of the night back in October, hope the legislation will lead to better coordination between the region’s transit agencies and, ultimately, better service for bus and train riders. 

“Today, June 1, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, or NITA, Act goes into effect. It is a day that history may not record, but it is historic nonetheless,” Leanne Redden, the executive director of the RTA, said at the agency’s board meeting on Monday.

The RTA will continue to operate under its current name until Sept. 1, when it will become NITA, the agency said in a news release.

Board members of the RTA voted Monday to authorize an increase of 0.25 percentage points to the RTA sales tax in Cook County and the collars in accordance with the legislation. 

Here’s what public transit riders need to know. 

What does the legislation do?

The legislation is intended in large part to prevent drastic service cuts on the CTA, Metra and Pace by raising about $1.5 billion for public transportation annually. 

The CTA in particular had warned it would need to start making significant service cuts this year because of a massive, looming budget gap caused by the depletion of one-time federal pandemic aid and ridership levels that were still diminished from pre-pandemic levels. Metra and Pace were also slated to fall off so-called fiscal cliffs in the near-term future. 

With the promise of new funding, the transit agencies have pledged not to cut train and bus service, but to increase it.

The legislation — which is more than 1,000 pages long — includes a litany of new requirements for transit agencies, from the minute to the larger scale. For instance, the bill mandates specifications for the “bus shields” used to protect bus drivers. It also requires Metra to study the possibility of extending the Metra Electric Line to Kankakee and for the CTA to open a Green Line station in Englewood, for instance. 

The legislation also significantly restructures how the transit agencies are governed. The new Northern Illinois Transit Authority is intended to be a more empowered version of the RTA, and the transit agencies are expected to work together to coordinate service. 

The legislation overhauls the boards that govern the region’s mass transit agencies, with all current board members’ terms set to expire Sept. 1.

The authorities tasked with appointing new transit board members — including the governor, mayor of Chicago, Cook County Board president and the county board chairs of the collar counties — are expected to appoint those members over the summer. Current board members could continue to serve on transit boards if they are reappointed.

Notably, the new legislation diminishes the power the mayor of Chicago has over the leadership of the CTA. Mayor Brandon Johnson made a last-minute push to appoint a permanent head for the agency — which has been led for more than a year by an interim leader — just weeks ago. As of Monday, the CTA’s board of directors had not taken him up on his ask, at least publicly. 

How is Illinois paying for it?

A portion of the new funds will come from the sales tax hike approved by members of the RTA board on Monday. Officials have already incorporated dollars expected to come in from that tax increase into transit budgets.

“This is a procedural vote by us,” said Kirk Dillard, RTA board chairman, during Monday’s meeting. Decisions made about how to fund transit, he said, “were policy decisions made by the legislature and the governor.”

The sales tax increase will go into effect Aug. 1. It’s expected to generate almost $200 million in new revenue this year and $553 million in 2027.

In the fall, lawmakers also agreed to divert some funds that would have typically gone to road projects to public transit, including $860 million in sales tax revenue on motor fuel and $200 million in interest earned on the state’s road fund.

Money diverted from road projects will be offset by a 45-cent-per-toll hike on the Illinois Tollway. 

What can transit riders expect now?

Riders can expect no fare increases, increased law enforcement presence and some improvements to transit service this year. 

Commuters should “sit back, relax, enjoy the extra service, cleaner service, and hopefully we continue to do all we can with respect to keeping riders safe,” Dillard said to reporters after Monday’s meeting.

For instance, CTA riders can expect to see more frequent bus service on certain routes, and the agency is planning to spend more money on slow zone mitigation, which should ultimately allow faster commutes on stretches of the agency’s aging track infrastructure.

Metra is adding service to its Rock Island line, which runs from downtown Chicago to Joliet. The agency also plans to add a few additional weekday trains to its Metra Electric line later this month. 

Pace is increasing the frequency of suburban bus service and extending hours of operation on certain high-demand routes, the RTA said in a news release.

A significant portion of new funds this year are paying for increased law enforcement staffing, particularly on the CTA.

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