(The Center Square) – Discussions continue around proposed legislation that would combine the Chicago-area mass transit systems into one.
The measure in Senate Bill 5 would create the Metropolitan Mobility Authority (MMA), which would oversee Metra, Pace, the Chicago Transit Authority and the Regional Transportation Authority. The agencies collectively face a budget cliff of over $770 million in 2026.
During Tuesday’s Senate Transportation Committee hearing, Annie McGowen, research director with the nonpartisan Civic Federation, said the consolidation proposal makes sense.
“This legislation would address the inefficiencies, governance issues and the lack of accountability and coordination that have plagued the agencies for decades,” said McGowen.
The leaders of the transit agencies have pushed back against any consolidation talk and instead have requested $1.5 billion in additional funding.
“We’re all in favor of doing what’s best for the customer,” said Pace executive director Melinda Metzger during a previous hearing. “I do not believe that combining us into one organization will make us better.”
Transit leaders have said the service areas they cover and the types of service each system provides vary drastically, making individual entities better suited to address passenger needs.
Labor unions have also rejected the notion of combining the agencies and are calling for more coordination between the groups.
State Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, said whatever the outcome may be, the Chicago suburbs need to be a part of the conversation.
“Residents of Kane County, DuPage, Will or McHenry County are going to be paying for Metra fares without having any representation to debate those issues, and being absolutely steamrolled in the ability to be able to control that or have some input,” said DeWitte.
The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition has been an outspoken supporter of the merger.
“The status quo isn’t working for taxpayers who are paying for duplicate bureaucracies performing overlapping functions instead of funding one agency that improves transit across Chicagoland,” the groups said in a statement.
