Overview
- The Transit Rider Interaction Program began this week with groups of six to eight Chicago Police officers lining platforms, checking in with operators and riders, and riding trains between stations.
- The CTA also launched a Safe Ride Specialists pilot that deploys outreach workers trained in crisis intervention and social work based on safety data and feedback from riders and employees.
- The FTA labeled the CTA’s initial safety plan materially deficient and set a March 19 deadline for a revised plan or the loss of $50 million, and agency leaders say an updated proposal will be submitted in the coming weeks.
- CTA officials previously boosted volunteer CPD deployments by more than 40 officers per day, while private security continued to log far more hours on the system than police, according to the agency’s filings.
- With a new $1.5 billion state funding law averting service cuts and shifting powers to an incoming regional authority, the CTA is also promoting service upgrades such as a 24‑hour Orange Line and bus reliability efforts, even as federal dollars for the Red Line Extension remain frozen and a resolution is sought.