Governor Pritzker has put pen to paper on legislation that leaders say will transform public transportation across the state of Illinois.
Dozens of state lawmakers gathered in Union Station for the signing of the new 1.5-million-dollar public transit funding bill by the Governor.
“We are bolstering operations and upgrading trains, tracks and buses, and we’re doing it in the most responsible way, with no new statewide taxes.”
The bill creates the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, which combines the CTA, Metra and Pace. State Rep Kam Buckner says that will help ensure more reliable bus and train service for riders.
“We didn’t just save CTA. We didn’t just save Metra and Pace. We saved transit in every single county, every single region and every single community in the state of Illinois.”
State Senator Ram Villivalam.
“Because of our collaboration, we avoided 40% cuts to service and prevented 3,000 transit workers from receiving layoff notices.”
Leaders also promise safety and accessibility improvements as a result of the bill.
“We are transforming how transit works while investing in who it serves.”