Chicagoland Congressional Delegation Applauds Grant to Chicago Transit Authority
WASHINGTON - Today, Members of Congress representing the Chicagoland area serviced by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) applauded an announcement by Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg that the CTA is receiving $118,409,985 from funds made available by the American Rescue Plan, which was passed by the House and Senate, and signed into law by President Joe Biden one year ago this week.
In February, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, along with U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Danny K. Davis, Mike Quigley, Robin Kelly, Bobby L. Rush, Marie Newman, and Jesús "Chuy" García, sent a letter to the Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Nuria Fernandez, urging approval of the CTA's application to the American Rescue Plan Additional Assistance Program. They highlighted that the CTA operates the nation's second largest public transportation system and provides 81 percent of the public transit trips in the six-county Chicago metropolitan area. In the letter they stated that the award of additional relief funds for CTA's future service needs would be vital to Chicago and the region's continued efforts to recover amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
They added, "CTA continues to provide this essential service, however, the pandemic continues to place a significant strain on farebox revenue. Compared to 2018, revenue for both FY2020 and year-to-date FY2021 are 60 percent lower. The pandemic has shifted when and how people utilize public transit, creating significant uncertainty and the need to incorporate creative solutions to attract riders—including investing in fare promotions, additional safety, and security measures to ensure all Chicagoans have equitable access to public transit. Given that ridership is not expected to return to pre-COVID-19 levels until at least 2025, additional funding from the American Rescue Plan will be critical to its operations.
The letter concluded, "The riders that CTA serves, and the front-line workers that provide that service, deserve the certainty that grant funding from this program can provide."
CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. stated, "Since the onset of the pandemic, the CTA has worked extremely hard to provide service to essential workers and others with vital travel needs. CTA continues to run 24/7, providing as much service as possible to Chicago and 35 suburbs. This critical federal funding allows CTA to continue providing the essential transit service our region relies on. We are grateful for the leadership of Senators Durbin and Duckworth, and the entire Illinois delegation, and their support of our region's ongoing efforts to emerge from the pandemic."
A copy of the letter can be found HERE.
###