* Tribune transit reporter Talia Soglin…
* Daily Herald…
At the inaugural meeting of the NITA board, directors chose transportation expert Tom Kotarac as its chair.
“This is something really rare. A genuine opportunity for a fresh start,” said Kotarac, who previously served as a Regional Transportation Authority director.
The fledgling agency replaces the RTA as a result of the [Northern Illinois Transit Authority] Act, passed in 2025. It gives NITA greater authority over Metra, Pace and the CTA in terms of fares, planning and finances.
Along with added clout, NITA will receive an millions of additional dollars through a sales tax increase and transfers of state gas sales tax funds.
Much is expected of NITA, from reducing crime on the CTA to delivering a universal fare system to finding efficiencies and cutting spending.
* Rep. Kam Buckner…
* The Sun-Times…
NITA has several requirements and a timeline to complete them.
- “Unify” fares by 2030. This will eliminate needing to buy a second ticket at full price to transfer from, say, Metra to CTA.
- Coordinate service. The RTA had limited power to ensure bus and rail service overlapped in a way that made sense. NITA, however, can plan service, bus and rail investments, and set fares.
- Vote next June on whether to create a transit police department. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is leading a task force to research the issue. He has said it would be an easy, though costly, option.
- Deploy trained customer service representatives called “transit ambassadors” by July 2027.
- Mandate electric buses. The law prohibits CTA and Pace from buying any new gas-powered buses, with a few exceptions.
- Create a system to develop property near transit hubs. NITA has new powers to buy and sell land to encourage “transit-oriented development,” the idea that walkable property near transit ought to be used for people and business.
…Adding… Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, a lead House negotiator on mass transit…
Dear Members of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Board:
Today marks the beginning of an important new chapter for public transit in northeastern Illinois.
The historic legislation creating NITA was about more than solving a funding crisis. It created an opportunity to finally build a truly regional transit system-one that connects communities, agencies, and people across Chicagoland.
As you begin this work, I encourage you to act boldly. Build the connections necessary to deliver a world-class transit system for Chicagoland.
That means looking beyond individual agencies and jurisdictions to create a system that works as one: coordinated service, seamless transfers, integrated fares, thoughtful capital investments, and connections that make it easier for people to get where they need to go.
But above all, keep the rider at the center of every decision.
The success of NITA should ultimately be measured by the experience of the people who use transit. Are trains and buses reliable? Are connections convenient? Is the system safe, accessible, affordable, and easy to navigate? Does it connect people to jobs, schools, health care, and opportunity?
The legislation gave you the tools to build something better. Now it is up to this Board to turn that vision into reality.
Think regionally. Plan regionally. Invest regionally. And always put the rider first.
Congratulations on this inaugural day, and thank you for taking on the responsibility of building transit for the next generation.
…Adding… The Tribune…
Former Chicago aviation boss Jamie Rhee will serve as the interim executive director of the state’s new governing body for public transit, the board of the nascent Northern Illinois Transit Authority voted during their first meeting Thursday.
Rhee oversaw Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports under three Chicago mayors before retiring last year amid a spate of departures from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration. As interim head of NITA — which now oversees the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace — she’ll be tasked with guiding the Chicago area’s mass transit systems through a critical transition period.
A veteran of Chicago city government, Rhee also worked as the city’s Chief Procurement Officer and as deputy chief of staff to former Mayor Richard M. Daley. At the Aviation Department, she oversaw major construction projects at both airports. […]
Rhee was named to the interim post in a 19-1 vote after a lengthy executive session. Before the vote, board member and Johnson appointee Oswaldo Alvarez pushed back, suggesting members should consider holding an emergency meeting to vet more candidates. “I was not aware that we had an open seat, I was not aware that we had candidates and I was not aware that it was a vetting process until just right now,” he said. Ultimately, Alvarez was the only no vote on Rhee’s temporary appointment.
* Related…
* Tribune | Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle proposes new transit board members: Preckwinkle’s proposed CTA appointees are Tom Kotarac, a current member of the Regional Transportation Authority board, and Ann Kalayil, associate vice president of facilities and construction at Columbia College Chicago and the former bureau chief of asset management for the county. If approved, Kotarac — who was appointed to the RTA board by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson — would serve on both the CTA board and the NITA board for three years. Kalayil would serve only on the CTA’s board for her five-year term. Kotarac has served on the RTA board since fall 2024. He leads the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago’s transportation work and previously worked at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning as well as for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. Preckwinkle called him a “senior transportation and infrastructure strategist with more than two decades of experience shaping major regional and federal policy initiatives.”
