CTA sues feds over halted funding for Red Line expansion, modernization

CHICAGO - The Chicago Transit Authority is suing the federal government after it chose to withhold funds needed to expand the Red Line and modernize both the Red and Purple lines.

The backstory:

The CTA filed a lawsuit on Friday against the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration demanding that they restore the funding set aside for the Red Line extension and the Red and Purple Modernization projects.

According to the CTA, the federal government committed to providing nearly $2 billion for the Red Line project and had signed agreements to provide funding for both projects as recently as Jan. 10, 2025. But in October of last year, the federal government paused all funding.

The lawsuit argues that pausing the funding will hurt residents as well as the future of the projects. 

The Red Line Extension project began four years ago, according to the CTA, and will extend services 5.3 miles south of 95th Street to 130th Street, servicing an additional 100,000 residents on the city's Far South Side. 

The Red and Purple Modernization Project is nearly complete, the CTA says, and has rebuilt a 9.6-mile stretch of the track structure and rail stations that are a century old. 

What they're saying:

"We are fully committed to the success of these projects, and we will take every step necessary to ensure that they move forward," said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. "The Red Line Extension is an historic investment into the Far South Side of Chicago that will transform public transit and create new economic opportunity for the communities it will serve. Additionally, our work on the Red and Purple Modernization Project, which is ongoing, has resulted in four new, fully accessible and modern stations. These are both meaningful, impactful projects, and we are working closely with community leaders, elected officials and other stakeholders to ensure that both are seen through to completion."

The other side:

Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced an escalation of its scrutiny and oversight of the Illinois Department of Transportation, citing a failure to do more to keep transit riders and workers in Chicago safe.

The new oversight will include a "special management inspection" and a "special directive" for IDOT, according to a news release. It was unclear exactly what that inspection would entail.

RELATED: Trump admin steps up pressure on Illinois over CTA crime concerns

This latest move by the U.S. Department of Transportation comes after months of threats to the CTA’s federal funding if the agency didn’t do more to increase safety on the system.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration said it determined that under Gov. JB Pritzker, IDOT has "not properly leveraged its oversight authority and resources" to improve conditions on the CTA, according to the news release.

The CTA said earlier this month it submitted an "enhanced security plan" to the FTA. The plan detailed new measures, including a 75% increase in monthly policing hours on its system.