Overview

• The Regional Transportation Authority is demanding $1.5 billion to avert 40 percent service cuts and layoffs across Chicago’s transit systems.
• Legislators are linking any bailout to a governance overhaul that would merge CTA, Metra and Pace under a single board and reduce mayoral influence.
• Mayor Brandon Johnson is urging Springfield for a fair share of funding for CTA and other city services while proposing a 911 surcharge and cellphone tax amendment to raise additional revenue.
• If lawmakers fail to secure transit funding by the end of this session, the issue could be deferred to a fall veto session, disrupting CTA’s 2026 budget timeline.
• Continuing state revenue shortfalls and uncertainties over federal support are intensifying the pressure on Springfield to finalize a balanced budget.