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Posted by
Olog-hai
on Wed Sep 2 01:50:01 2026
WGN-TV
Northern Illinois Transit Authority takes over for RTAThe start of September marks the beginning of a new transit agency in Illinois. The Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) will take over from the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA).
Lawmakers in Springfield created the agency when they approved transit funding to prevent local transit agencies from facing a financial crisis that would have led to service cuts and fare hikes. The new agency will oversee Metra, the CTA, and Pace. The stated goal of NITA is to “make service more frequent and consistent, fares more affordable, and rides safer and more seamless between lines.”
An appointed board will run NITA, with assistance from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
Maulik Vaishnav, NITA’s chief transition officer, joined The Point on Tuesday to discuss the new agency’s role. He says the agency’s first steps have been listening to transit riders.
“We hear a few specific things. They would like more service on the street. You don’t want to wait longer for buses and trains. When you’re waiting for them, you want better bus stops, better real-time information,” he said.
For the first year of operation, fares will be frozen, and after that it will be up to NITA’s board to determine whether a fare hike is necessary. As for the long-anticipated merging of fare cards and payments, Vaishnav says that could be a few years off.
“Immediately, we are making some improvements so riders can use the Ventra card on multiple services. But then, starting with 2030, there will be a unified fare system for the whole region as required by the law,” Vaishnav said.
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