The Chicago Transit Authority is hosting three town halls in September on next year’s budget as the agency anticipates potential drastic service cuts if lawmakers in Springfield fail to pass a funding bill.
The CTA also says it will share a vision of its future in the town halls if, on the other hand, lawmakers pass a funding bill that instead raises funding for Chicago-area transit by $1.5 billion a year.
The agency, which is facing a multi-million budget gap in the middle of 2026 as federal COVID-19 pandemic aid runs dry, wants riders to say what investments they want to see if those funds are granted.
The town halls are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on:
- Tuesday, Sept. 16 at Imani Village, 901 E. 95th St.
- Thursday, Sept. 18 at Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave.
- Thursday, Sept. 25 at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Jackson Blvd.
Comments can also be left online at www.transitchicago.com/2026budget/
The CTA — along with sister agencies Metra and Pace — are among several transit agencies across the country facing possible service cuts as ridership levels remain lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic and federal transit aid is spent.
The CTA has been planning for service cuts up to 40% since the state legislature failed to pass a funding bill in May. Legislators get another chance to pass a bill in the fall veto session in October.
As that uncertainty plays out, the Regional Transit Authority that oversees CTA, Metra and Pace has asked the agencies to create multiple 2026 budgets that account for potential cuts or a boost in spending.
The CTA says it will use the public input in the town halls to create its 2026 budget that it will share in October. The CTA was expected to be the first area transit agency to face possible cuts next spring. But the RTA last month reallocated $74 million in its 2026 budget from Metra and Pace to the CTA to delay the cuts until the summer, when the other agencies also face potential cuts without additional state funding.
The CTA says it will need to hold additional public hearings to make any potential cuts equitable as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.