Sen. Ram Villivalam
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State Sen. Ram Villivalam: Here’s how we can stop Chicagoland transit from falling off the fiscal cliff
While some might argue it's risky for the senator and his colleagues to hold out for a full $1.5B to upgrade the system, he says that failure to do so would be a missed opportunity.
July 24, 2025
Politicians and some 100 advocates showed up for Rally to Fix and Fund Public Transit at Union Station, kicking off “Hot Transit Summer”
Today at Union Station, a coalition of transit, labor and environmental advocates held a rally to "Fix and Fund Public Transit," demanding that Illinois lawmakers reconvene and provide full funding for public transportation. Speakers called for a special summer session to pass a bill that would rescue Chicagoland transit from some 40 percent service cuts and 3,000 layoffs.
June 26, 2025
It’s down to the wire in Springfield, as legislators pitch legislation to fund transit reforms
This is itMake no mistake where you areThis is itYou're going no furtherThis is itUntil it's over and doneThis is itOne way or another
Austin Busch
May 29, 2025
At State Senate committee meeting on MMA, transit advocates voiced support, but collar counties opposed simple-majority voting proposal
Representatives of Kane and McHenry counties argued that if MMA board decisions didn't require a supermajority vote, their districts would be disempowered.
March 12, 2025
The latest episode in the Chicagoland transit fiscal cliff saga: A new hope
State Sen. Ram Villavalam and a coalition of labor unions are backing the "United We Move" bill that would empower the RTA without merging the four transit agencies.
February 8, 2025
Sen. Ram Villalam on transit funding, and the recent research trip to Germany: “It really showcased how integrated public transit is possible.”
Sometimes right now it feels like Chicagoland residents are on a runaway train (or a scene from the 1994 city bus thriller Speed?) hurtling towards our region's looming transit fiscal cliff. Federal COVID-era public transportation subsidies for the CTA, Metra, and Pace, overseen by the Regional Transit Authority, are projected to run out in 2026. That would leave the systems with a total budget gap that would be the better part of a billion dollars.
February 4, 2025
