Particle.news
Download on the App Store
17 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Feds Threaten to Withhold CTA Funds, Order Security Plan Within Days

The directive responds to a Blue Line fire attack, citing years of CTA data that show elevated violence.

A train pulls away from the Clark Street and Lake Street Blue Line stop where a man doused a woman in liquid and set her on fire on the train Monday night, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
A Chicago police officer patrols the Clark Street and Lake Street Blue Line stop where a man doused a woman in liquid and set her on fire on the train Monday night, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
A train pulls into the Clark Street and Lake Street Blue Line stop where a man doused a woman in liquid and set her on fire on the train Monday night, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Chicago police keep watch at the CTA Red and Green Line Station in Chicago, Sept. 23, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Overview

  • An FTA special directive requires the CTA to submit a verifiable security enhancement plan by Dec. 15 and fully implement it by Dec. 19, with an updated agency safety plan due by the end of December.
  • Federal officials said they will track compliance through scheduled meetings, required submissions and possible onsite inspections, and they can withhold transit funds if benchmarks are missed.
  • The action cites CTA-reported figures showing worker assault rates above peer-agency averages since 2015 and a roughly 150% rise in attacks on riders over five years.
  • The CTA acknowledged receipt of the order and said it will respond within the timeline, as Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. J.B. Pritzker criticized the threat and highlighted new Illinois transit legislation creating a regional law-enforcement task force and other safety measures.
  • The push follows the Nov. 17 Blue Line case in which Bethany MaGee was set on fire; suspect Lawrence Reed was arrested and later charged by federal prosecutors with a terrorism offense, intensifying scrutiny of transit safety and supervision practices.