Looming Metra, CTA Cuts At Center Of Public Forum In Naperville

NAPERVILLE, IL — Potential service cuts to Metra and PACE will be at the center of The DuPage County Transit Listening Session, an event hosted by The People's Lobby.

The event will be held April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Naperville Public Library, 200 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville.

The discussion comes after transit authorities said a $770 million budget shortage might lead to "unprecedented cuts" that might perpetuate a "doomsday scenario." The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) shared a news release indicating there could be a 40 percent cut in transit service if options aren't determined by May's legislative session.

"[T] he CTA would go from one of the largest transit systems in the country to having fewer bus routes than Madison, WI, and Kansas City,” per the news release.

To mitigate the looming service cuts, RTA is seeking $1.5 billion to cover its annual operating costs.

In an event description for The DuPage County Transit Listening Session, a representative from The People's Lobby wrote,

"Service cuts to Metra and Pace have made it almost impossible to figure out when it makes sense to travel. Gaps between trains and buses make it so taking a trip to the city, or even a different suburb, requires hours of waiting between rides.

We're hosting a discussion on how to fix Chicagoland's public transit and build a world-class transportation system that gets everyone where they need to go."

Patch Editor Anna Schier contributed reporting.