CTA files enhanced security plan

The Chicago Transit Authority sent federal officials a revised security plan on March 10 that commits the agency to 75% more monthly policing hours. (transitchicago.com) The filing was a response to a Federal Transit Administration order issued December 19, 2025, after regulators said the Chicago Transit Authority’s first plan was too weak and threatened to withhold up to $50 million in federal funds within 90 days. (transit.dot.gov) The revised plan adds Cook County sheriff’s deputies to rail patrols, expands Chicago Police Department transit and overtime deployments, and creates three new mission types aimed at crime hotspots identified through police and National Transit Database data. (cst.brightspotcdn.com) The Chicago Transit Authority also folded in measures beyond patrols: mental-health teams, shelter-bed funding for unhoused riders, technology support for officers, high-barrier fare gates at some stations, and fare-card inspection missions. (transitchicago.com) (chicago.suntimes.com) Federal pressure came after a string of attacks on the system, including a November 2025 Blue Line assault in which a 26-year-old passenger was set on fire, and after the Federal Transit Administration said Chicago Transit Authority crime was nearing a decade high. (transit.dot.gov) The agency says the early surge that began in December is already showing results: transit-worker assaults fell 25% in January 2026 and 29% in February 2026 compared with the prior six-month average. (transitchicago.com) (cst.brightspotcdn.com) Federal regulators did not declare the matter over. In a March 17 letter, the Federal Transit Administration said it would not withhold funds “at this time,” but would require biweekly staffing and crime data and continue monitoring whether the Chicago Transit Authority meets its commitments. (transit.dot.gov) The March 17 letter also shifted scrutiny to the Illinois Department of Transportation, which serves as the state safety oversight agency for the rail system; federal officials said Illinois had “longstanding unaddressed deficiencies” in its oversight of the Chicago Transit Authority. (transit.dot.gov) Chicago Transit Authority leaders presented the plan as a longer-term operating model, not a short police surge, while some board members and riders pushed for lighting upgrades, violence interrupters, ambassadors, and other non-police measures to keep moving in parallel. (news.wttw.com) (blockclubchicago.org) For now, the revised plan keeps the Chicago Transit Authority’s federal money in place and turns transit safety into a set of measurable targets that Washington can check every two weeks. (transit.dot.gov)