FTA opens SMI into IDOT oversight
The Federal Transit Administration launched a Safety Management Inspection of the Illinois DOT’s State Safety Oversight program for CTA rail — a formal probe into whether IDOT is meeting federal SSO obligations. This escalates federal scrutiny of oversight agencies and could force tighter PTASP/SMS enforcement for CTA and peers amid growing regulator attention. (rtands.com)
Special Directive 26-1 makes eight findings from FTA’s October 7, 2025 SSO audit immediately enforceable and directs the Illinois Department of Transportation to complete 11 required actions. (transit.dot.gov) FTA’s oversight correspondence cites persistent IDOT shortcomings including limited onsite presence, weak accident-investigation governance, ineffective corrective-action-plan management, and minimal use of enforcement authority. (transit.dot.gov) The inspection will evaluate how IDOT independently identifies and prioritizes safety risk, conducts or critically reviews safety-event investigations, oversees CTA’s Roadway Worker Protection program, verifies corrective-action effectiveness, and intervenes when performance is inadequate. (rtands.com) FTA tied the enforcement action to its ongoing oversight under Special Directive 23-1 (Oct. 23, 2023), evidence from SD 25-3, and the agency’s October 7, 2025 SSO audit, and noted recent safety events including a worker struck by a train on Nov. 10, 2025. (transit.dot.gov) U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy framed the move as escalating federal oversight and the DOT said it will determine, based on inspection results, whether additional enforcement such as further special directives or other actions are warranted. (transportation.gov) FTA’s correspondence stresses CTA’s operational scale—more than one million passenger trips each weekday and a workforce of over 11,000—and notes FTA has already initiated a targeted Agency Safety Plan audit of CTA while SD 26-1 establishes expedited completion timeframes for IDOT’s required actions. (transit.dot.gov)
