Is CTA getting better? We asked hundreds of riders.
CTA has said it is getting back on track. Riders who answered a recent WBEZ survey said they aren’t so sure.
CTA
Chicago Transit Authority Coverage
Read ongoing coverage of Chicago’s efforts to improve public transit in the wake of COVID-19.
Featured
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There’s a bold new plan to bolster public transit in Chicago. What riders should know.
Universal fare passes. A new governing structure. Here’s how a planning group wants to patch up CTA, Metra and PACE.
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The CTA says crime is down and service is more reliable this year
Moving forward, the transit agency said it plans to implement more solutions, such as a new chatbox technology for riders to provide real-time feedback.
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CTA is launching an anti-grime campaign. Customers say it’s overdue.
Efforts include more janitors, more powerwashing and two dozen station upgrades, part of a bigger effort to boost public confidence in public transit.
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‘The CTA is their last resort’: A night out with the people helping homeless riders
Outreach workers say fewer shelter beds and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s recent crackdown on people sleeping at O’Hare has forced more unhoused people onto trains and buses.
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Everybody’s late, and everything smells like weed: What nearly 2,000 CTA riders told us
In a wholly unscientific WBEZ survey of regular commuters, many expressed concerns that service, safety and cleanliness have eroded since the pandemic began.
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Smoking, dirty trains, delays: Here’s how CTA answered riders’ most-pressing questions
We took your questions to the people in charge.
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Can CTA get back on track? New data show a workforce still in flux.
Bus and rail jobs are getting filled, but current employees keep leaving, according to new data released this week by the Chicago Transit Authority.
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CTA riders ask: Why is Chicago’s transit tracker unreliable?
The search for answers included a 29-mile trek to Ikea, four transit apps and more than a dozen calls to experts. Here’s what I learned.
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Massive plan to extend the Red Line south wins Chicago council approval
The plan to create a new TIF around downtown and surrounding areas would provide one-third of the money needed for the nearly $4 billion project to add nearly 6 miles of track, with federal money …
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Federal budget proposal includes $350 million for CTA Red Line extension
The plan also includes more funding for the military, new social programs and tax increases on corporations and wealthy individuals.
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CTA will receive $200 million in federal funding for new rail cars
Part of a nationwide push to modernize aging infrastructure, the grant comes as Chicago’s public transit agency struggles to win back customers.
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Latest
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CTA announces spring cleaning for rail and bus stations
The CTA will spend about $6.5 million repairing and improving 13 rail stations and three bus turnarounds this spring. Advocates worry the program doesn’t go far enough.
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CTA president takes the train to City Hall — then gets an easy ride
Dorval Carter Jr. got a rough ride from CTA riders — but a markedly smoother one from the City Council’s Transportation Committee after recent efforts to increase hiring and promises to bolster …
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CTA boss says Yellow Line crash conditions are isolated, not systemwide
Brushing aside criticism that he has remained silent since the crash, CTA President Dorval Carter said National Transportation Safety Board rules prohibit him from commenting on the investigation.
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CTA, Metra tout new, bigger budgets but warn of troubles down the road
The presentations to a regional transit board happened in the same day that a rail crash on the CTA’s Yellow Line injured dozens.
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Is CTA getting better? We asked hundreds of riders.
CTA has said it is getting back on track. Riders who answered a recent WBEZ survey said they aren’t so sure.
![]()
There’s a bold new plan to bolster public transit in Chicago. What riders should know.
Universal fare passes. A new governing structure. Here’s how a planning group wants to patch up CTA, Metra and PACE.
![]()
The CTA says crime is down and service is more reliable this year
Moving forward, the transit agency said it plans to implement more solutions, such as a new chatbox technology for riders to provide real-time feedback.
