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SEARCHUSDOT found the Chicago Transit Authority’s safety plan insufficient to safeguard commuters on buses and rail, as crime on Chicago transit approaches a decade-high.
The baseline metric for Major Assaults Against a Transit Worker is an average of eight assaults/month, equating to two victims/week in a month with four weeks.
Photo: Chicago Transit Authority/METRO
The Federal Transit Administration recently issued a letter to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) directing the transit agency to submit a new Security Enhancement Plan with more “aggressive crime reduction targets and countermeasures,” to restore safety for passengers and workers.
According to a release, if CTA does not submit a stronger plan within 90 days, FTA will withhold up to $50 million in federal funding.
Under the leadership of U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, the department is “committed to standing up for riders and advancing safety on transportation systems nationwide.”
"I'll say it plainly: CTA, city, and state leaders are failing transit riders and operators," said Federal Transit Administrator Marc Molinaro in a release. "This 'plan' fails to measurably reduce incidents of assaults and improve overall safety on buses and trains. If people's safety is at risk, so are federal funds. CTA must act to save lives and improve safety."
The FTA determined that CTA's Plan fails to address the high rate of assaults and other crimes against passengers and transit employees across CTA's system, as it did not include targets that “effectively reduce assaults and other crimes.”
The FTA first issued the Special Directive 25-3 to CTA on December 8, 2025, after a violent attack on the CTA Blue Line in which a 26-year-old passenger was set on fire by a repeat criminal with a reported 72 prior arrests.
If CTA does not comply, FTA will withhold 25% of Urbanized Area Formula program funds apportioned to CTA under 49 U.S.C. § 5307. According to the FTA, the baseline metric for Major Assaults Against a Transit Worker is an average of eight assaults/month, equating to two victims/week in a month with four weeks.
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