Transit
CTA carried 70% of its 2019 rides in 2025, counted the same way. So far in 2026, rides are up 2.7%.
Rides: federal monthly count through Sept. 2026, checked every morning · yearly totals through 2025 · projects as of June to Aug. 2026 · checked Nov. 9, 2026
Rides so far this year, against the same months of 2025
Jan.–Sept. of each year, from the federal monthly count. It is refreshed about once a month and runs two months behind.
| Jan.–Sept. 2025 | Jan.–Sept. 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTA buses | 151.0M | 154.0M | +2.0% |
| CTA trains (the L) | 104.0M | 107.9M | +3.8% |
| CTA, all | 255.0M | 262.0M | +2.7% |
| Metra | 28.8M | 30.2M | +4.6% |
| Pace buses | 12.4M | 12.3M | −1.4% |
CTA rides each month of 2026, millions
Rides on CTA, Metra and Pace, millions a year
Every year is counted the old way, so the years compare fairly.
CTA’s big projects
What is being built, what it costs and when it is due.
| Project | Status | Budget | Where it stands | Due | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Line Extension | Under way | $5.75 billion | 5.5 miles and four new stations from 95th to 130th. Broke ground Apr. 24, 2026; 20% complete in June | In service 2030 | CTA Apr. 24, 2026 |
| Red and Purple Modernization, phase one | Nearly done | $2.2 billion | Two miles of rebuilt track, four rebuilt stations and the bypass at Belmont. Builders reported the main work finished July 1, 2026 | Final sign-off Nov. 2026 to April 2027 | Construction Dive July 6, 2026 |
| State/Lake station rebuild | Under way | Not in the report | The Loop station closed Jan. 5, 2026 to be replaced by a new, fully accessible one. The city’s transportation department is building it | Opens 2029 | CTA Dec. 4, 2025 |
| Blue Line Forest Park branch, phase one | Behind schedule | $126.7 million | Track and station work at Racine, Morgan and Hermitage. 80% complete in June | February 2027 | NITA oversight report June 2026 |
| New 7000-series rail cars | Under way | $713.7 million | 252 cars delivered and accepted by June | March 2027 | NITA oversight report June 2026 |
| Elevators at more stations (All Stations Accessibility) | Mixed | $25.6 million to $88.7 million each | Austin (Green Line) reopened fully accessible in Aug. 2026. Irving Park and Belmont (Blue) are in design; California (Blue) has to be bid again | 2028 to 2029 | WTTW Aug. 7, 2026 |
| Tap-to-pay fare system upgrade (Ventra) | Under way | $127.2 million | The behind-the-scenes move to new systems was 90% done in June | December 2027 | NITA oversight report June 2026 |
Budgets, percentages and due dates are from the regional agency’s June 2026 oversight report unless the row links elsewhere. That report rates the Red Line Extension on schedule.
The new transit law’s deadlines
In 2025 the state replaced the regional transit agency with a stronger one (NITA) and gave it new money. These are dates the law sets.
- June 1, 2026The law takes effect. The regional board approves a quarter-point sales tax increase
- Sept. 1, 2026New boards are seated at the regional agency (NITA), CTA, Metra and Pace
- Dec. 31, 2026The first regional budget under the new law must pass
- July 1, 2027Transit ambassadors start work on the system
- Dec. 31, 2027Service standards for buses and trains adopted
- Mid-2028Fare capping and income-based fares in place
- Feb. 1, 2030One fare system across CTA, Metra and Pace
Dates are from the agency’s summary of the law (June 2026). A passed date means the deadline has gone by; we don’t yet track whether each was met. What the law changed ›
What the agencies report
| More CTA service scheduled, 2025 vs. 2024 | +14% |
| Rider growth on frequent bus routes | 21% |
| Rider growth on other routes | 11% |
| Door-to-door rides for riders with disabilities | 6.2M |
Frequent routes come every 10 minutes or better; they were chosen because they were already busy. Door-to-door rides are 144% of 2019.
The 2025 transit law
There is no official ridership target. What the law does set is the list of deadlines above, plus a rule that fares and other income cover 25% of running costs from 2028 and 20% from 2029. The agency’s summary ›
In 2025 CTA changed how it counts riders: new fareboxes and passenger counters, and rides the old system missed. That added 5.9% to its 2025 total (8.5% on buses, 2.4% on the L). On the new count 2025 was 338.0 million rides; on the old count, 319.2 million, which is the figure compared with 2019 here. The 2026 gain compares two years on the new count. Project budgets are as of March 2026 and status as of late May 2026, except where a row cites a later story. This year’s month-by-month rides come from the Federal Transit Administration’s National Transit Database, which counts every boarding; CTA changed how it counts in January 2025, so those months are compared only with the same months a year earlier.
Sources: Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database, Complete Monthly Ridership; CTA ridership restatement memo (Mar. 20, 2026); CTA annual ridership reports 2019 and 2025; CTA daily ridership (Chicago Data Portal); RTA regional ridership; NITA 2025 ridership release (Jan. 30, 2026); NITA Report on Project Management Oversight (June 2026); NITA Act summary (June 2026).