On September 1, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) officially replaced the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) as the Chicago region’s transit oversight and coordinating agency. 

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will continue to operate Chicago’s bus and rapid transit systems, Metra will remain responsible for commuter rail, and Pace will provide suburban bus services. 

Although NITA will not operate buses and trains, it will have considerably more authority than the RTA had over regional transit planning, funding, fares, and coordination. NITA will establish regional service standards, lead the development of a regionwide service plan, oversee long-term capital planning, and help create a more integrated fare and ticketing system. 

Eno recommended creating a strong regional authority in 2023 when the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning asked us to help examine the region’s transit governance structure. We interviewed dozens of people in the Chicago region, including elected officials, transit agency leaders, civic groups, and advocates. We also looked at how transit is governed in other major metropolitan areas. 

 One problem came up again and again: CTA, Metra, and Pace each understandably focused on their own services, while the RTA did not have enough authority to make the three systems work together as effectively as they could. That created problems with service coordination, funding allocation, decision-making, and accountability. 

Eno therefore recommended moving toward a more consolidated regional structure. The basic idea was simple: the region needed a structure that could look beyond the interests of individual agencies and make decisions from a regional perspective. 

Last fall, Illinois lawmakers incorporated key elements of Eno’s recommendations and passed legislation creating NITA as well as providing more than $1 billion in annual funding for transit. 

Now, putting this new structure in place will be extraordinarily complicated and likely to  generate controversy and pushback. The Illinois Department of Transportation has hired a consultant to help with the transition. The consultant will work with NITA’s new 20-member board on a wide range of issues, including organizational design, staffing needs, project management structure, and the legal, administrative, and management relationships between NITA and the transit operators. New procedures and policies will need to be put in place. 

The consultant will also examine opportunities to consolidate some functions at NITA. Procurement is one example. Bulk fuel purchases, information technology services, consulting contracts, and other goods and services could potentially be consolidated. The consultant will need to determine whether consolidation would produce enough savings or other benefits to justify the change. 

Given the complexity of this work and the need to engage a wide range of stakeholders, fully putting the new structure in place will likely take years. The consultant’s final report to the Illinois General Assembly is due by July 1, 2027.