Illinois Senate committee wraps up public transit hearings looking at financial issues across the state [Video]

SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – Public transit is becoming a hot topic in Springfield as agencies across Illinois feel a financial crunch.

The state Senate Transportation Committee finished a series of hearings Tuesday on public transit in Springfield.

The hearings come as the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), which oversees public transit in the Chicago area, faces a potential $730 million fiscal cliff in 2026. Chicagoland, however, is not the only place with transit agencies facing potential money problems.

“We strongly believe that funding public transit is a statewide priority, and making sure that 52 of the 56 public transit agencies that are not in the RTA region have the ability to present their needs,” said state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, the Transportation Committee’s chair.

Those agencies include the Rock Island Metropolitan Mass Transit District, or Quad Cities MetroLINK.

Illinois Municipal League Legislative Affairs Director John Coultas told lawmakers despite continued growth, the agency’s expenses are projected to exceed …