The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) plans to add an additional 130 digital advertising displays across its rail system over the next two years at no cost to the agency, to provide more customers with valuable real-time service alerts and information and generate new revenue for the agency.
In addition to adding new screens, 159 of the CTA’s existing 283 digital advertising displays will be upgraded. A new feature that will be available on both the new and updated screens is a dedicated space on the screens for CTA service information, such as service alerts and CTA Train Tracker information that is continuously displayed alongside advertisements.
“One of my top priorities is to continually seek out new ways of improving the customer experience and make taking public transit the most logical, easy and convenient travel option,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. “The expansion of our digital advertising leverages this vision, as all the displays will provide our riders a valuable service in alerting them to any changes in service and also informing them of when the next train is arriving.”
Beginning this summer through 2018, at no cost to CTA, the new digital displays will be installed and will include platform displays and “urban panel” displays that are located outside station entrances. Concurrently, roughly 60% of the existing advertising displays will be upgraded, costs for which will be deducted from advertising revenue.
The expansion and upgrade of CTA’s digital advertising display network is part of an amendment to its contract with Intersection, which has exclusive advertising rights on all CTA vehicles and properties. Advertising on CTA properties generates revenue that benefits the transit system and helps keep fares affordable. In 2016, advertising on buses, trains and at stations generated more than $27 million for the CTA.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
