CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday (Dec. 16) signed into law the legislation providing $1.5 billion in new funding for Chicago-area transit and authorizing the restructuring of the Regional Transportation Authority, the parent agency of Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Pace.
“This new law not only averts the [fiscal] cliff but preserves affordability and makes transit safer and more reliable,” Pritzker said in a signing ceremony at Chicago Union Station, according to a WBEZ Radio report.
The bill, passed in the early-morning hours of Oct. 31 as the Illinois legislature concluded its fall veto session, provides the funding annually through a mix of increases in local taxes, redirection of some tax money from fuel sales, increased highway tolls, and diversion of money from a state road fund. [See “Illinois legislature passes bill …,” Trains.com, Oct. 31, 2025.] It also restructures the membership of the RTA board under the new name of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, and gives the NITA more power to set fares and schedules across the three operating agencies.
Pritzker had previously indicated he planned to sign the bill.
Critics of the bill include suburban officials who feel the new makeup of the NITA concentrates too many board positions with representatives of Chicago and Cook County, and downstate politicians concerned that the rest of the state will see few benefits from the legislation. One aspect that could benefit those outside Chicago is a change in the law that will allow transit funds to be used for intercity passenger service, which could aid the long-stalled effort to launch train service to the Quad Cities [see “Illinois transit bill could boost …,” Nov. 1, 2025].
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