CTA Chief Dorval Carter Steps Down Ahead Of Looming Fiscal Cliff, Potential Consolidation

CHICAGO — Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter will step down at the end of January after nearly a decade leading the nation's third-largest public transit agency.

“Serving as president of this great agency has been an extraordinary privilege and I am forever grateful for what has been the opportunity of a lifetime,” Carter said, announcing his planned retirement.

Last year, a majority of the Chicago City Council signed a nonbinding resolution calling for him to resign or be fired by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

His departure comes as lawmakers in Springfield are considering proposals to consolidate the CTA with Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority, or RTA.

Officials project a budget shortfall of $771 million when federal COVID-19 aid runs out next year — a so-called "fiscal cliff."

Carter began his career as a staff attorney for the CTA in 1984 before working his way up to general attorney. After that, he spent 10 years working for the Federal Transit Administration, the branch of the Department of Transportation that deals with mass transit.

After returning to CTA in 2000, he served as executive vice president and chief administrative officer, with a stint as acting president in 2009. In 2015, then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed him president, making him the first Black leader of an agency where more than eight of 10 employees are African American.

Carter oversaw more than $11 billion in projects during his tenure as president, including several major projects.

The $5.7 billion Red Line Extension to 130th Street, the most expensive capital construction project in CTA history, secured its final chunk of federal funding last week.

Other significant projects included the $2.1 billion first phase of the Red Purple Modernization Program, the $280 million renovation of the 95th/Dan Ryan Terminal and the $203 million Wilson Station Reconstruction project.

“His leadership reimagined the movement of our city," Johnson said in a CTA release. "His stewardship of the Red Line Extension project is just one of the notable achievements in his historic career.”

Equity-focused initiatives were also a hallmark of Carter’s leadership. The All Stations Accessibility Program, or ASAP, was developed to make all CTA rail stations accessible to people with mobility disabilities. Carter’s work with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth led to a $1.75 billion federal program modeled after ASAP.

Under his leadership, the CTA also expanded the Second Chance Program, which provides employment opportunities to individuals facing barriers to employment. Since 2011, over 2,200 people, many with criminal records, have participated in the program.

“Since I became chair in 2021, I have seen firsthand his unwavering commitment to equity and his passion for this agency, which is exemplified through transformative projects like the Red Line Extension," Chicago Transit Board chairman Lester Barclay said in the release. "His legacy will leave a lasting impact on CTA, and we are grateful for his dedicated service.”

Despite his noted accomplishments, Carter’s tenure was not without controversy. Riders and city officials criticized the agency for service reliability issues, safety concerns and staffing shortages during the pandemic.

In 2022, the City Council mandated quarterly appearances after Carter declined requests to appear before aldermen.

The agency has grappled with the issue of "ghost trains," trains listed on schedules but not arriving due to operational issues.

Last year, the CTA introduced a new "dynamic" train schedule aimed at aligning schedules with actual available staffing.

The CTA had lost more than 20 percent of its rail operators from the coronavirus pandemic to last year, going from 361 to 285, Block Club Chicago reported.

In May 2024, Carter addressed criticisms during a City Council following the resolution signed by 29 of 50 alderman called for his resignation.

Carter described the challenges he faced, including harassment and personal threats, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He also suggested he was being unfairly singled out because of his race, telling alderman that Chicagoans have a "history of attacking and trying to bring down their African American leaders."

“Over the course of the last year, I’ve had to deal with harassment, with personal physical threats, with racial epithets that have all been directed at me because I have been turned into a caricature," Carter said. "I have been turned into something that is less than a human being."

After leaving the CTA on Jan. 31, Carter will assume leadership of Saint Anthony Hospital on Chicago’s West Side as its president and CEO, according to the retirement announcement. For more than a decade, he has served on the board of the hospital where his father worked for more than 40 years, including a decade chairing its Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.