Kirk Dillard
Top Categories
Lovefest at today’s RTA board meeting, as directors nix 2026 fare hikes, agency prepares to ride off into sunset to make way for NITA
The October 23 Regional Transit Authority board meeting, in the midst of Springfield's fall veto session on the brink of the transit fiscal cliff, was a contentious affair. It was basically a Spiderman Pointing Circle of people blaming each other for the dire straits Chicagoland transit was facing.
November 6, 2025
At RTA meeting, ex-mayor of “Groundhog Day” movie setting Woodstock, IL says voting structure casts shadow on transit reform bill
As we approach the the end of October, things are getting eerie. I'm not talking about spectral Halloween decorations. (Sorry, I wound up squeezing two different holiday references into this post.) Rather, I'm referring to the haunting possibility that state legislators may go home from their fall veto session, wrapping up Tuesday through Thursday of next week, without passing a transit reform and funding bill. That could result in service cuts and layoffs, which would indeed be frightful.
October 23, 2025
The first cut is the deepest: RTA warns some transit impacts may be unavoidable, even if the state comes through with a bailout
"This is an outcome that was preventable, but we stand ready to do the work and respond to what's coming down the path," said RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden.
June 12, 2025
Transit agencies, expert clap back at Tribune editorial calling the looming budget crisis a “so-called fiscal cliff”
Read the Tribune editorial here.
May 2, 2025
Uncharted territory: RTA leaders discuss how Chicago transit will survive COVID-19
How with the CTA, Pace, and Metra transport more people to work when the state reopens, while maintaining social distance, with a lot less money? That remains to be seen.
May 21, 2020
Transit Officials, Mayors, Business Leaders Urge State to Provide Steady Capital Funding
Transit leaders hope to convince Springfield legislators to allocate $2-3 billion a year over the next decade.
April 25, 2019
