A Chicago Transit Authority Train known as the “L” makes a turn on the system’s “Loop” in downtown Chicago on Sept. 10, 2025. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Adams)
Article Summary
- Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill to provide $1.5 billion in new revenue for public transportation agencies while creating a new Chicago-area oversight agency.
- The plan does not include any statewide tax increases but does raise a sales tax in the Chicago area.
- Funding for the transit agencies will be diverted from sales taxes on motor fuel purchases and interest in the Road Fund.
- New reforms in the coming years will include more schedule coordination between transit agencies and a universal fare system.
- Nearly all Republican lawmakers voted against the law over concerns it hurts suburban representation on the transit agency boards and takes money away from downstate agencies.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
A yearslong effort to overhaul and improve funding for Chicago’s public transportation agencies crossed the finish line on Tuesday with Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature.
Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2111, which raises $1.5 billion to plug a fiscal cliff for the Chicago area’s transit agencies that was set to hit next year. The plan doesn’t include any statewide tax increases, instead relying on an increased sales tax in the Chicago area and a diversion of funds from the state’s Road Fund…