New bill possibly to replace RTA

[MetroShadow]

[Allegedly] We're getting closer to a bill, per Streetsblog.

[Busjack]

48 minutes ago, MetroShadow said:

[Allegedly] We're getting closer to a bill, per Streetsblog.

That's an excellent, comprehensive article, and I hope Sen. Villivalam sticks to his guns. That wouldn't be the "union bill," for which Pace's Kwasneski voiced some support at the last meeting, and better foreclose the complete farce Johnson tried to pull off at the CTA (according to a linked story on Streetsblog, and a story I saw in the Sun-Times) to sneak in a lackey as CTA President before action on the MMA, like he thinks he is Rahm.

[MetroShadow]

https://news.wttw.com/2025/05/28/lawmakers-unveil-plan-overhaul-chicago-area-transit-new-oversight-agency-no-solution

After a week here, I'm flying back to the Bay, so I will look at the bill text once I get to it.

[artthouwill]

3 hours ago, MetroShadow said:

https://news.wttw.com/2025/05/28/lawmakers-unveil-plan-overhaul-chicago-area-transit-new-oversight-agency-no-solution

After a week here, I'm flying back to the Bay, so I will look at the bill text once I get to it.

Someone yell State Senator Don DeWitt that the CTA is the largest of the three agencies and serves Chicago

  Pace has 9 garages with 5 of them located in Cook County.   Metra has more stations in Cook County than the other counties.  It stands to reason that Chicago and Cook County would have a bigger say in the area's transit.  West Dundee doesn't have a lot of transit use and the city and county shouldn't be held hostage at his whim.  

[Busjack]

4 hours ago, MetroShadow said:

https://news.wttw.com/2025/05/28/lawmakers-unveil-plan-overhaul-chicago-area-transit-new-oversight-agency-no-solution

After a week here, I'm flying back to the Bay, so I will look at the bill text once I get to it.

I tried to find the actual bill, but was unable to do so. I found House Amendment 001 to SB2111, which has references to the :"Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act," but doesn't contain that Act itself. Probably not officially posted yet.

1 hour ago, artthouwill said:

Someone yell State Senator Don DeWitt that the CTA is the largest of the three agencies and serves Chicago

  Pace has 9 garages with 5 of them located in Cook County.   Metra has more stations in Cook County than the other counties.  It stands to reason that Chicago and Cook County would have a bigger say in the area's transit.  West Dundee doesn't have a lot of transit use and the city and county shouldn't be held hostage at his whim.  

You and the press have been suckered again. This part is about as credible as a report that in the waning days of the Spring session, some legislator from Barrington wants the state to erect a statue of Pope Leo, and, for that matter, not in Dolton.

What's significant to me on the media front, is while RTA, CTA, Metra, and Pace spent maybe 16 months lobbying to save their jobs, none of them had any comment other than they want money. As I pointed out for about 17 years, the CTA grievance that it provides 80% of the rides is malarkey.

I'll be waiting for the text of the bill. but, if anything, the Cook County suburbs may be screwed. I don't think anyone in the suburbs wants Brandon Johnson and Toni Preckwinkle running the transit system.

[Busjack]

19 hours ago, MetroShadow said:

https://news.wttw.com/2025/05/28/lawmakers-unveil-plan-overhaul-chicago-area-transit-new-oversight-agency-no-solution

After a week here, I'm flying back to the Bay, so I will look at the bill text once I get to it.

 

14 hours ago, Busjack said:

I tried to find the actual bill, but was unable to do so. I found House Amendment 001 to SB2111, which has references to the :"Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act," but doesn't contain that Act itself. Probably not officially posted yet.

I had better luck this mornoning. It is SB2111 House Amendment 0001. One has to get pst the "People over Parking Act," and figure out the strike throughs and underscores to figure out what is happening: For details, see next post.

[Busjack]

• The Metropolitan Transit Authority Act is renamed the Chicago Transit Authority Act, and the Regional Transportation Authority Act is renamed the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act. Most of those Acts are substantially rewritten. 
• The powers of the CTA are subject to the authority of the NITA.

• NITA has primary responsibility for setting fares, service standards, schedules, and coordinated fare collection so that the public  transportation system in the metropolitan region operates on a one-network, one-timetable, one-ticket model.

• Effective Feb. 1, 2026, the CT Board will consist of one member appointed by the Governor. 3 by yje mayor, and 2 by the Cook County President, and all 6 are members of the NITA Board.

• The Cook County Sheriff to lead a NITA Law enforcement Task Force, to plan a transition to a NITA law enforcement department

• Similar to the case of the CT Board directors. the NITA directors also serve on the Pace or Metra board, and those from suburban Cook County must reside in specified districts outside of Chicago (someone listened!!).

[Busjack]

David Greising Tribune column on how this could shake out.

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, Sam92 said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/transportation-secretary-sean-duffy-cta-funding-safety/

The story about the threat to withhold funds....

• One of the provisions of the NITA bill is to have a transit police force.
• At least the Pace board is sticking its head in the sand about the probability the bill in some form will pass, as a version of the governance part did pass each house. In addition to the comment I made about "borrowing from suburban," starting here in the video is a discussion with the backdrop "MASS TRANSIT CONSOLIDATION DISCUSSION,"  where Metzger said "Consol...not consolidation, but keeping the service boards..."

[Busjack]

35 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

Your explanation as a Wayfinder makes more sense, though I still wouldn't put it past Metra if they adopted this as a name change solution.  To my knowledge  there has been no official announcement yet.   Even as a Wayfinder tool, it looks like it could be confusing to navigate between two different downtown terminals.  I guess long distance travelers were smarter in the old days when nearly all of them had to change trains and terminals between Central Station, Dearborn Station,  LaSalle Station, Union Station and Northwestern Station ( Maybe not LaSalle).  But then again, there was Parallel to transfer passengers between the stations.  Today there's CTA.

I don't know to what you're responding. The quote was on Metzker tring to save job, but this seems to have to do with the last Random Metra topic, if that.

[artthouwill]

43 minutes ago, Busjack said:

I don't know to what you're responding. The quote was on Metzker tring to save job, but this seems to have to do with the last Random Metra topic, if that.

Response moved to the correct thread.

[renardo870]

Will NITA allow other counties to be a part of the Chicagoland Metropolitan Area in regards to transit? I'm referring to DeKalb, Grundy, Kankakee & Kendall counties since state laws would have to be changed to allow more counties in the RTA area. Boone, Winnebago (Rockford Area) and LaSalle Counties should be included as well since people would travel to/from the Chicagoland Metropolitan Area. 

I'm just thinking out of my head "what ifs." 🤷🏾‍♂️

[Busjack]

3 hours ago, renardo870 said:

Will NITA allow other counties to be a part of the Chicagoland Metropolitan Area in regards to transit? I'm referring to DeKalb, Grundy, Kankakee & Kendall counties since state laws would have to be changed to allow more counties in the RTA area. Boone, Winnebago (Rockford Area) and LaSalle Counties should be included as well since people would travel to/from the Chicagoland Metropolitan Area. 

I'm just thinking out of my head "what ifs." 🤷🏾‍♂️

That bill has the same provision as the RTA Act but other than a reference to territory that may be annexed, doesn't seem to say how the territory may join the agency. They would have to agree to pay the taxes, though. Probably would take separate legislation. For instance, while Metra has and will have the power to enter into agreements to provide service outside the 6-county  metropolitan region, that doesn't make Rockford part of NITA.There probably would also have to be legislation on how the new county would be represented on the various boards.

[Busjack]

22 hours ago, renardo870 said:

Will NITA allow other counties to be a part of the Chicagoland Metropolitan Area in regards to transit? I'm referring to DeKalb, Grundy, Kankakee & Kendall counties ... Boone, Winnebago (Rockford Area) and LaSalle Counties should be included as well since people would travel to/from the Chicagoland Metropolitan Area. 

I'm just thinking out of my head "what ifs." 🤷🏾‍♂️

I discussed the legalisms in the prior post, but history indicates this is too far flung. Rockford (RMTD) and Dekalb (Husky Line) already have bus service. As I indicated above, if they join NITA, they would have to pay the taxes, and at various times McHenry (about 20 years ago) and DuPage (recently) said they were not getting their money's worth and increased taxes were just a bail-out of the CTA. I said that the service providers could contract with entities outside their jurisdiction, which is how I suppose the Rockford train will be operated, but there was when Oswego cancelled the Pace bus to the Aurora station and used a Kendall Area Transit minibus instead. On the other hand, I said that representation would have to provided for the new counties, but one of the [unfounded] objections to NITA was that it would turn over control of the CTA to the suburbs.

Too many parochial objections to overcome.

 

 

 

they would have to pay the taxes