On Track: A blog from NITA
Blog posts published prior to September 1, 2026 were written by the RTA and are maintained here for historical purposes.
Blog posts published prior to September 1, 2026 were written by the RTA and are maintained here for historical purposes.
New regional transit authority unifies CTA, Metra and Pace around shared vision for safer, more reliable and better-connected transitThe Northern Illinois Tr...
September 1, 2026
Move
RTA welcomes summer 2024 interns
This summer the RTA welcomed six new interns from Chicago-area universities. The interns work in various departments including Communications, IT, Strategic ...
June 27, 2024
Invest
New project management oversight report highlights more than 100 projects representing $8.2 billion in capital investments
The RTA’s Project Management Oversight (PMO) program ensures that the Service Boards—CTA, Metra, and Pace—are spending capital funds and managing their infra...
June 27, 2024
Plan
Read recaps and watch recordings of the RTA's four-part Transportation Tuesday webinar series
The RTA brought back Transportation Tuesday, its popular four-part webinar series each Tuesday May 28–June 18 from noon to 1:30 p.m. The free, virtual sessio...
June 25, 2024
Plan
Transportation Tuesday recap: Transit’s operating funding crisis
The rise of remote and hybrid work and its staying power post-COVID have resulted in significant losses in fare revenue and exacerbated the issue that most s...
June 21, 2024
Plan
Transportation Tuesday recap: Building transit-friendly streets and advancing bus rapid transit
Partnering with roadway agencies to build more transit-friendly streets and advance bus rapid transit (BRT) is a goal outlined in the RTA’s regional strategi...
June 13, 2024
Move
Four months into the Access Pilot Program, over 3,000 Metra riders experiencing low incomes enrolled for more affordable fares
On February 1, RTA launched the Access Pilot Program in partnership with Cook County and Metra, extending reduced fares to eligible Metra riders experiencing...
June 13, 2024
Plan
Transportation Tuesday recap: Parking mandates and TOD
Parking dominates metropolitan areas of the United States, in both land area and, often, in policy debates related to land use and development. In 2013, the ...
June 7, 2024
Move
How to use transit to celebrate Pride Month in the Chicago region
June is Pride Month, a time to honor and celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals in the United States. The ...
May 31, 2024
Invest
Transportation Tuesday recap: Improving and expanding the transit system strategically
With last year’s adoption of Transit is the Answer came 15 new evaluation metrics that comprise a strategy for evaluating and selecting capital projects. Now...
May 30, 2024
Plan
Service Boards share robust operational data through new online portals
At the May RTA Board of Directors meeting, RTA staff shared an update on new, streamlined data portals developed by CTA, Metra, and Pace to boost transparenc...
May 30, 2024
Plan
Proposed transit legislation addresses governance reform without addressing critical funding issues
On April 30 State Representative Kam Buckner (D – Chicago) introduced HB5823, the Metropolitan Mobility Authority (MMA) Act. The legislation, which has not a...
May 22, 2024
Plan
RTA and partners working on Chicago region’s first Mobility Hub Network Framework
The RTA is partnering with the Shared Use Mobility Center (SUMC) and the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) to develop the Chicago ...
May 14, 2024