The Illinois General Assembly has adjourned from the Spring Legislative Session and one of the newest governmental entities that was created is the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA).
Established under Public Act 104-0457, the NITA replaces the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) beginning on September 1st, 2026, and will oversee the three main transit entities – Chicago Transportation Authority (CTA), Metra, and Pace – ultimately centralizing policy making decisions under one board. Board makeup will be the following:
- Illinois Governor: Appoints 5 directors
- Mayor of Chicago: Appoints 5 directors
- Cook County Board President: Appoints 5 directors
- Collar County Board Chairs: Appoints 5 directors total—one each from DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties
The reforms also come with new annual investment in the Chicago metropolitan area’s transit system: $1.2 billion in transit operations and $180 million in capital improvements. The hope is that with all three main transit entities falling under one umbrella, this will bring better coordinated service, such as more reliable trains and buses. Additionally, all three transit entities will be operating under one fare by 2030, simplifying the process for passengers.
With NITA’s arrival, we say goodbye to the RTA. Created under a similar operational and fiscal situation, the RTA’s origins date back to the early 1970s when the General Assembly passed the RTA Act. The Act established this new municipal corporation to unify, fund, and oversee a fractured, failing public transportation system across the six-county Chicago metropolitan area: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will.
In 1983, the General Assembly amended the RTA Act, fundamentally restructuring the agency. The RTA’s mandate shifted to financial oversight and regional planning and three semi-autonomous “Service Boards” were created:
- Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
- Metra (unifying failing commuter railroads)
- Pace (consolidating suburban bus systems)
Each entity consisted of its own independent board of directors, budget, and decision making process. Fast forward to 2025 and new legislation was created to sunset the RTA with a new entity to consolidate not only operations but decision-making.
The decision to replace the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) with the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) in SB 2111 (2025) was driven by a combination of structural, financial, and governance problems that had accumulated over decades. Policymakers concluded that the RTA model — created in 1974 and restructured in 1983 — was no longer suited to the region’s post‑pandemic transit realities. In effect, NITA was created to be a more unified, empowered, and flexible regional transit authority capable of addressing 21st‑century transportation challenges.
Prairie State Policy 