CTA: Rauner's Proposed Cuts Deeper Than We Thought
The draconian cut in state aid to the CTA proposed in Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget might be even bigger than first thought.
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The draconian cut in state aid to the CTA proposed in Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget might be even bigger than first thought.
A Regional Transportation Authority analysis released Thursday has determined that the CTA, Metra and Pace face $36.4 billion in capital needs over the next 10 years.
CTA bus ridership is down and the transit agency is offering a lot of reasons why.
The head of the Chicago's areas umbrella transit agency recommends Metra follow up reports that many of its locomotive engineers conductors bring home over $100,000 a year, reports WBBM's John Cody.
Chicago-area commuters have never seen anything like it. Metra has proposed fare increases averaging 10.8 percent, starting in February, with the guarantee of additional increases every year through 2024.
The CTA hopes to attract more riders by speeding up its buses, and giving buses green light priority over other vehicles is a key part of that strategy, but it says it is encountering problems obtaining federal grant money that's been in the hands of the Regional Transportation Authority since 2012.
Republican state Sen. Kirk Dillard, who made two attempts at Illinois governor, officially resigned from the Legislature after more than two decades in office to become chairman of the Chicago-area's Regional Transportation Authority, Senate Republican officials announced Monday.
The Regional Transportation Authority is shifting gears – from a developer as its board chairman to a politician and attorney who actually rides mass transit regularly.
The Regional Transportation Authority may not even be around in a few months, yet it has just signed a 38-month, $5 million advertising contract targeting markets that have eluded the area's transit agencies.
RTA Chairman John Gates said he wants the agency to concentrate on what he considers doable -- and said his priority remains finding new money for capital repairs and rehabilitation.
The agency that oversees public transportation in Chicago is suing American Airlines for falsely claiming to buy "vast amounts of jet fuel" from a small office in a rural community to avoid paying tens of millions of dollars in taxes in the nation's third-largest city, where the actual work is done.
Metra soon hopes to give you E-alerts about trains at specific times, not just for specific lines.
Metra has begun a self-examination of its performance in this month's snow and bitter cold, even as the Regional Transportation Authority orders its own review.
A union official on Thursday showed reporters a photograph of a Ventra card that worked –- despite having a negative balance of $272.50.
The chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority said Wednesday the problems with the Ventra fare card system amount to "systemic failure," not just "a computer glitch." And he ordered his chief auditor to determine how much it's costing.
The agreement kept intact the historic division of the supposedly discretionary funds: 98 percent to the CTA, 2 percent to Pace, while essentially forgiving a $56 million loan to the CTA that CTA has characterized as a grant and offering Metra $2 million for capital projects.
Pace is the first of the area's transit systems to unveil a proposed 2014 budget, and it holds the line on most fares while promising additional service.
Governor Pat Quinn's transit task force has morphed from checking up on Metra to designing a transit system that's the envy of the world after a few local issues are settled. John Cody reports on day one.
Regional Transportation Authority board member William Coulson said former Metra chair Brad O'Halloran and director Larry Huggins sparked a clash with former CEO Alex Clifford over political hires at the agency.
The Regional Transportation Authority is putting the finishing touches on a sharply critical audit of former Metra CEO Alex Clifford's severance agreement – and says the commuter rail agency could have gotten out of the contract for a fraction of the potential $718,000 cost.
Although the newest appointee to the CTA's governing board suddenly backed out in the past week, the CTA's President says any upcoming agency shakeup should leave his agency out.
After, another resignation from the Metra Board, the head of the Regional Transportation Authority is pleading with suburban official to appoint members to fill all the empty seats. WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore has the story.
Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed former U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald and former CTA Board chair Carole Brown to a panel tasked with recommending reforms for the Chicago area's public transit agencies, in the wake of patronage allegations at Metra.
A government watchdog group said Wednesday that the resignations of two Regional Transportation Authority board members this week pointed to larger, troubling issues for the Chicago area's transit agencies.
Governor Quinn says that in the wake of the patronage and executive director payout scandal at Metra, he wants experts to look at an overhaul of the state's transportation agencies, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Some members in the community said they haven't heard from family since last week.
Does the Chicago Bears' dramatic improvement this season, culminating in their first playoff run in five years, change the discussion about where they will build a new stadium?
The body of a Chicago Public Schools teacher who has been missing for more than a week has been found, her family confirmed Monday afternoon.
The state of Illinois and city of Chicago are suing the Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security for unlawful use of force and dangerous tactics in immigration raids.
City attorneys have recommended that Chicago aldermen approve an $875,000 settlement with a group of more than two dozen people who accused police officers of violating their civil rights during protests in 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Does the Chicago Bears' dramatic improvement this season, culminating in their first playoff run in five years, change the discussion about where they will build a new stadium?
The state of Illinois and city of Chicago are suing the Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security for unlawful use of force and dangerous tactics in immigration raids.
The subpoenas threatened a criminal indictment related to Jerome Powell's testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June 2025, according to the Fed chair.
This weekend, CBS News Chicago's Jermont Terry hosted a forum with Democratic candidates hoping to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois).
A federal judge has temporarily blocked HHS from halting $10 billion in social services funding to five states, a move the agency argued was necessary to crack down on fraud — but the states called unconstitutional.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
As this holiday season nears its end, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias issued a warning Tuesday about text scams.
A new report shines a light on electricity shortages that Illinois could face in less than 10 years.
January is Radon Action Month, and the Cook County Department of Public Health is urging residents to test their homes for radon.
Severe flu season is sending many people to hospital emergency rooms across the country, including in the Chicago area.
Unionized health care workers this week took aim at Northwestern Medicine, saying the health care system needs to hire more people before expanding the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that its recommendations for childhood vaccines will not be affected by a change in federal guidelines.
The first pediatric flu death for this year's flu season has been reported, Illinois health officials said, as flu cases across the state continue to rise.
The Piggery, a popular barbecue restaurant and bar in the northwest corner of Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, announced Thursday that it is going out of business.
The Lincolnwood Town Center mall in the north Chicago suburb of Lincolnwood has been sold to a developer, the village announced Wednesday.
They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but a longtime Chicago fried chicken institution said imitation went too far after a new business opened with a very similar name.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
American Airlines announced Monday that it is adding 100 more departures from Chicago early next year as it continues its expansion at O'Hare International Airport.
Here is everything you need to know about how to watch and stream the 2026 Golden Globes.
Bob Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Grateful Dead classics including "Sugar Magnolia," "One More Saturday Night" and "Mexicali Blues."
Chicago Theatre Week brings value-priced tickets for shows from Feb. 5 until Feb. 15 at Chicago's stage venues. Tickets can sell for $30, $15, or even less.
Isiah Whitlock Jr. is perhaps best known for his role as state Sen. R. Clayton "Clay" Davis on HBO's "The Wire."
It marks the second lawsuit in recent months accusing the filmmaker and studio mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.
A Rush University Medical Center employee is in critical but stable condition after being shot multiple times in an early morning drive-by Monday.
There is growing bipartisan pushback after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed the Justice Department is investigating him in connection with the central bank's renovation project in Washington, D.C.
The state of Illinois and city of Chicago are suing the Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security for unlawful use of force and dangerous tactics in immigration raids.
Does the Chicago Bears' dramatic improvement this season, culminating in their first playoff run in five years, change the discussion about where they will build a new stadium?
The body of a Chicago Public Schools teacher who has been missing for more than a week has been found, her family confirmed Monday afternoon.
The body of a Chicago Public Schools teacher who has been missing for more than a week has been found, her family confirmed.
The state of Illinois and city of Chicago are suing the Trump administration and DHS for unlawful use of force and dangerous tactics in immigration raids.
Rush confirmed the 23-year-old woman is a employee at the hospital.
Some members in the community said they haven't heard from family since last week.
A man was due in court Monday in a shooting that left one man dead and another wounded on a CTA 'L' train in downtown Chicago last month.
Fire department officials in Chicago's western suburbs said drone technology has been helping keep firefighters safe and make a major impact on public safety.
With the stores becoming a common target for thieves, some of the stores in the Chicago area are taking new steps to fight back.
As thousands of people are expected downtown for New Year's Eve celebrations, Mayor Johnson, the Chicago police, and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications are trying to get out ahead of any safety concerns.
Cameras not working, video evidence missed by police and a psychic that leads a hit and run victim's son to a clue that changes the case
Some Chicago area hospitals are at risk of significant flooding both in and around the buildings, according to new KFF Health News/Fathom models.
The Chicago Cubs on Monday announced the schedule for the 2026 Cubs Convention, set for this coming weekend at the Sheraton Grand Chicago along the Chicago River.
Sunday of this week was the anniversary of the appearance of "The Super Bowl Shuffle" on the Billboard music charts.
The NBA has rescheduled a game between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat due to a slippery court issue.
The Chicago Bears will face the L.A. Rams at Soldier Field for the NFC Divisional round playoffs game at Soldier Field next weekend.
Fans were jubilant this weekend after the Chicago Bears sent the Green Bay Packers packing in a stunning victory in an NFC Wild Card playoff game.
The state of Illinois and city of Chicago are suing the Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security for unlawful use of force and dangerous tactics in immigration raids.
A man and a 6-year-old boy were stabbed in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood Sunday night.
A woman who works at Rush University Medical Center was critically wounded in a drive-by shooting early Monday morning in the middle of the hospital's campus on the Near West Side.
A man was due in court Monday in a shooting that left one man dead and another wounded on a CTA 'L' train in downtown Chicago last month.
Burglars targeted two businesses on Clark Street in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood overnight Sunday into Monday.
