* US Department of Transportation press release…

Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Cracks Down on Illinois DOT for Mismanagement of CTA System

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is launching a Safety Management Inspection (SMI) and a Special Directive for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) — the state agency responsible for safety oversight of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) rail transit system. FTA determined that under Governor J.B. Pritzker’s failed leadership, IDOT has not properly leveraged its oversight authority and resources to protect Chicago passengers and transit workers. FTA’s actions build on Secretary Duffy’s nationwide campaign to make transit systems safer for American families.

“It shouldn’t take federal intervention for Illinois to take oversight of CTA seriously,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “I’ve made clear since my first day on the job – safety is non-negotiable. Governor Pritzker and state leaders should be embarrassed for the chaos they’ve allowed on Chicago’s subways, buses, and rail lines. While they may not care about your safety — this administration does. The Trump Administration is using use every tool available to hold IDOT accountable and ensure every American using Chicago transit feels safe.”

The Special Directive requires IDOT to take 11 actions to improve its oversight of CTA, including implementing FTA’s recommendations from an April 2025 audit of IDOT’s rail transit safety oversight function.

FTA will determine, based on the results of the inspection, whether additional enforcement actions, such as the issuance of additional Special Directives or other enforcement actions, are warranted. […]

To date, FTA has conducted several safety activities, including: (1) issuing a Special Directive to IDOT in October 2023 to address staffing and other concerns; (2) Evaluating IDOT’s response to FTA’s October 2025 report on a State Safety Oversight audit; and (3) Participating in the investigation of recent safety events at CTA.

FTA has identified repeated and persistent deficiencies in IDOT’s oversight performance, including:

• Limited onsite presence
• Weak accident investigation governance
• Ineffective corrective action plan management, and
• Minimal use of enforcement authority

Given these longstanding issues with IDOT’s oversight of CTA, FTA believes a safety investigation is necessary to determine the root causes and a way forward.

The safety investigation will assess how IDOT performs critical safety oversight functions, such as how IDOT:

• Independently identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes safety risk
• Conducts and/or critically reviews safety event investigations, ensuring their sufficiency and thoroughness
• Exercises active and informed oversight of CTA’s Roadway Worker Protection (RWP) program to ensure the safety of those working on or around CTA tracks
• Critically reviews and, where necessary, challenges CTA’s analyses and conclusions to ensure that safety risk is appropriately identified and mitigated
• Verifies the implementation and effectiveness of corrective actions; and
• Takes timely and appropriate action to intervene when CTA’s safety performance is inadequate

Additional Information on the Special Directive:

IDOT has not made sufficient progress in addressing long-term issues, including FTA’s findings from a recent audit. These deficiencies have allowed critical safety concerns to continue. FTA believes this new directive is necessary to address unsafe conditions and practices consistent with the prevention of substantial risk of death or personal injury.

In order to accelerate reforms of IDOT’s oversight of CTA, the new Special Directive will:

• Incorporate the eight findings from FTA’s safety audit of IDOT as immediately enforceable findings under this directive;
• Establish specific required actions and expedited completion timeframes for IDOT to correct these deficiencies; and
• Issue three additional findings and corresponding required actions where FTA has determined that further direction and enforcement are necessary to address ongoing safety risk at CTA.

The letter to IDOT is here.

* Tribune…

The FTA directive requires IDOT to take various actions to strengthen its oversight of the CTA, including conducting on-site safety inspections, conducting a review of the CTA’s in-house hazard assessments and developing a spending plan for federal dollars. The directive specifies that the actions be taken throughout the spring and summer.

Failure to do so, acting FTA executive director Jamie Pfister warns in the directive, could lead the feds to require IDOT to use federal funds to correct safety problems.

The FTA, which previously threatened to withhold up to $50 million in federal grant funding from the CTA over public safety and crime, also said Tuesday it “reserves the right to take additional enforcement action as necessary.”

An FTA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question about whether or not that action could include withholding federal funds.

* Gov. Pritzker’s response…

As the Trump Admin fails to keep airports running and make transit safer, Sec. Duffy launched a sham investigation into our local transit.

Maybe when you care less about pajamas at the airport and more about real solutions as we do, we’ll take note.

Get back to work, Sean.