Chicago train could be in Big Trouble!

Chicago train CTA could be in Big Trouble!
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#CTA #chicago #Metra #RTA
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0:00 Intro
00:40 The Looming Financial Crisis
02:11 The Conquesence
03:52 Ridership Trends
06:20 Deteriorating Service Reliability
08:07 Safety and Security Concerns
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Big thanks to:
Cragin Spring
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chiski/...
CC BY 2.0
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Chicago train CTA could be in Big Trouble!
With ridership still lagging, a fiscal storm, and tons of trouble on the horizon, Chicago’s iconic ‘L’ is facing one of its biggest challenges yet. But this isn’t just about numbers — it’s about the future of a city and the system that keeps it moving.
In this video, we’ll look at what’s going wrong… and why saving the ‘L’ is more important than ever.
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The Looming Financial Crisis
Chicago train CTA could be in Big Trouble!
The Chicago "L" system is facing a significant financial crisis that threatens its very existence in its current form. Projections for 2026 indicate a substantial budget deficit for the CTA, estimated at $605 million. This shortfall is part of a broader regional transit crisis, with the entire system encompassing the RTA, CTA, Metra, and Pace facing a combined budget deficit of $770 million in 2026. The scale of this financial challenge is underscored by the RTA's advocacy for an additional $1.5 billion in annual operations investment to adequately address the crisis.
Chicago train CTA could be in Big Trouble!
A key factor contributing to this impending financial cliff is the rapid depletion of federal pandemic relief funds. The CTA received a total of $2.2 billion in federal funding to help maintain operations during the pandemic-induced ridership decline. However, by the end of 2025, only an estimated $48 million of these funds will remain. This near exhaustion of temporary financial support highlights the unsustainability of the current funding model. As of the end of 2024, the CTA had $626 million remaining, with projections indicating that $578 million of this would be spent in 2025. This trajectory clearly demonstrates the looming "fiscal cliff" in 2026 when these funds will be largely gone.