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RTA tells Lake County committee ridership rose in 2025; fare pilot extended and portal upgraded

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Summary

RTA officials told the Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee that regional ridership rose in 2025, previewed a $11.2 billion capital oversight report and said the agency is preparing to transition responsibilities under the NEDA Act; the RTA also extended a reduced-fare pilot and launched an improved application portal.

RTA government-affairs associate Zachary Braun told the Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee on Feb. 25 that overall regional ridership increased in 2025 and the agency is preparing for regulatory and operational changes under the NEDA Act.

Braun said the service boards reported “we finished out 2025 with 12,300,000 more rides than the previous year,” with CTA up 1% year-over-year and at about 78% of pre-pandemic ridership, Metra showing year-over-year gains and PACE down roughly 3% but recovering to about 67% of pre-pandemic levels. Braun also said RTA’s semiannual project-management oversight report details about $11,200,000,000 in projects.

The data matters to Lake County officials because committee members requested line- and Lake County–specific breakdowns. Vice chair and committee members asked for METRA figures by line and for the RTA to supply local recovery ratios. Braun said he would consult RTA counterparts and provide those figures to the committee.

Katie Peterson, RTA mobility outreach coordinator, reported two local-access items the committee said it would circulate to constituents: the reduced-fare access pilot for SNAP recipients has been extended through Dec. 31, 2026, and the agency launched Portal 2, an updated online system that allows applicants to update demographic details, change photos, check application status and upload missing documents without restarting applications. "I'll include this all in my follow-up email, and you can have that link to our fare portal," Peterson said.

Committee members asked whether the agency’s transit-oriented development work in Fox Lake would continue under NEDA. Braun said NEDA is expected to assume a larger role for planning responsibilities currently with CTA, Metra and PACE and that the RTA board is beginning conversations about the transition.

The committee recessed questions after the RTA representatives agreed to follow up with Lake County–specific METRA and line-level ridership figures and to distribute the Portal 2 link and pilot details. The RTA presentation was informational; no committee action was required. The committee asked that RTA’s next quarterly report include the requested local data.