The Merger of Chicago's Major Transit Systems

As a major city, Chicago has a major infrastructure with roadways and highways, trains, and fleets of buses. The Chicago Transit Authority operates a mass transit system of buses and trains, including the famous “L” elevated trains, which mainly services commuters within city limits. The Metra also operates trains, with 2-level train cars shuttling people between the city and many stops along a rail network stretching to the far outer suburbs. The Pace bus system serves the Chicago metropolitan area, covering far distances throughout the suburban counties and sometimes into the city.  These agencies operate independently, with their own budgets, fare collection methods, and governance, and each serves tens of thousands of daily riders.  

The Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act 

Illinois State lawmakers have proposed a merger of the agencies into one new entity, to be called the Metropolitan Mobility Authority, in House Bill 5829. The proposal includes allocating $1.5 billion in additional funding to this new system. Representative Eva-Dina Delgado has cosponsored the Illinois House legislation to streamline Chicago metro’s transit system and make it so efficient and appealing that commuters would choose mass transit over cars. CBS News’ Tara Molina has stated that the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act would be the first part of the Clean and Equitable Transportation Act, with Illinois’ goal for the transportation industry to be 100% carbon-free by 2050. This is an honorable and lofty goal and requires a significant amount of planning and reform to the current system. All three agencies, Metra, CTA, and Pace, have expressed interest in the consolidation idea. 

Improvements to Public Transit 

The necessary upgrades would address safety concerns, reliability and timeliness issues, affordability, and increased accessibility. This would be a boon not just for commuters day to day experiences, but also for the climate, the region’s economy, and access to opportunity.  

One issue with the current system is that fares between the various providers do not overlap, so people have to pay two separate fares to take a train followed by a bus, for example. The new Metro Mobility Authority would have one universal fare to cover each separate leg of a commute.  

Another issue facing the transit system is that pandemic relief will run out in 2026, leaving a $730 million deficit. Many people are now working from home, so revenue has also taken a substantial hit. Thus, more funding is needed to revamp the system under the newly proposed entity.   

Metropolitan Mobility Authority 

Multiple directors chosen by the governor would oversee the Authority, the mayor of Chicago, the president of the Cook County Board, and the chief executives of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. Non-voting members representing organized labor unions, the disability community, and business interests would also be present.  

The legislation for creating the Metropolitan Mobility Authority may be tabled until the veto session in the fall. With this in mind, it is essential to consider the timeline for implementation. Introducing the various aspects of the Act one at a time may be prudent, as separate bills will be part of one greater whole. This would give more time for planning and allocating a source of the necessary funding. What remains to be seen is whether the Act can be implemented at pace with technological improvements.  

Beyond needing more funding, there would have to be operational and governance reform. It would be necessary to grant more authority to a centralized governance body for greater oversight. This would require significant legislative changes to both the Regional Transportation Authority Act and the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act, which HB5829 does contemplate. Each of these Acts recognized the need for increased coordination and funding and was created with the purpose of reforming public transportation. The Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act follows a long history of attempts to improve the current system.