Feds reject new CTA safety plan, leaving millions in federal funding in jeopardy

Chicagoans react to increased police on CTA: 'I know they're not doing enough'

If you take the CTA, you may notice more police officers and K-9s on the job today. It's part of a new security surge plan. Some riders, however, were unimpressed.

CHICAGO - Federal transit officials are ordering the CTA to submit a new, tougher safety plan within 90 days or risk losing a quarter of its federal operating funds, citing failures to meaningfully address crime on the system.

What we know:

In a letter published Friday, the Federal Transit Administration said CTA is out of compliance with a special safety directive issued earlier this month that requires measurable reductions in transit worker and customer assaults, along with a surge in security staffing. 

The agency rejected CTA’s security enhancement plan submitted on Monday, calling it "materially deficient" and inadequate to ensure immediate improvements in safety.

If CTA does not submit a revised plan and obtain federal approval within 90 days, the FTA said it will withhold 25 percent of the funds the agency receives under federal law. The notice serves as a formal warning under federal transit safety statutes and regulations.

The FTA said CTA’s plan failed to set monthly reduction targets for assaults over the next six months, as required, and did not propose significant increases in security or law enforcement presence on buses and trains.

"I'll say it plainly: CTA, city, and state leaders are failing transit riders and operators," Federal Transit Administrator Marc Molinaro said in a statement. "This 'plan' fails to measurably reduce incidents of assaults and improve overall safety on buses and trains. If people’s safety is at risk, so are federal funds. CTA must act to save lives and improve safety."

Federal officials noted that baseline data show roughly two CTA workers each week are assaulted severely enough to require ambulance transport or result in death.

To comply, the FTA ordered CTA to submit a revised plan with significantly higher crime-reduction targets and to demonstrate, in detail, how increased security staffing would achieve those goals. The agency said submitting a new plan does not pause the 90-day enforcement clock and that any funding restriction would remain until a compliant plan is approved.

Increased police presence coming to CTA

You will soon see a noticeable increase in police and security across CTA buses and trains. It comes as safety on public transit remains top of mind, especially after a disturbing attack last month. Leslie Moreno is live with how this new plan works and how soon it goes into affect. 

What's next:

CTA has 30 days to file a written reply to the notice. The FTA said it will continue monitoring CTA’s compliance and may take further enforcement action if violations persist.

The FTA's demands come on Friday as the CTA and Chicago police are deploying dozens of additional officers across the system. The initiative increases the average number of sworn officers patrolling buses and trains from 77 per day to 120.

In addition to increased police patrols, the CTA is expanding its private K-9 security teams, adding more canine units systemwide.

The safety push comes in the wake of a horrifying incident last month, when a man set a woman on fire aboard a CTA train, a case that intensified concerns about safety on public transit.