CTA Sues for $3.1 Billion in Frozen Transit Grants

The Chicago Transit Authority filed a federal lawsuit on Friday against the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration, seeking to restore approximately $3.1 billion in previously approved federal grants that the Trump administration froze last fall. The suit, lodged in U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleges the funding suspension is arbitrary, unlawful and violates federal procedures, including the Administrative Procedure Act.

The withheld funds, originally awarded under the Biden administration, support key modernization and expansion efforts for Chicago's extensive public transit system, which serves about one million riders daily. Central to the dispute is the $2.1 billion allocated for the Red Line Extension, a 5.3-mile project that would add four new stations and extend rail service to the city's Far South Side, reaching roughly 100,000 residents in predominantly Black and disadvantaged neighborhoods. This long-planned initiative, advocated for over 50 years, aims to improve access to jobs and services in underserved areas. Additional funding covers the Red and Purple Modernization Program, which involves upgrading century-old tracks and...