In this episode of In Transit — the second in a series on the complexities of funding for mass transit in Illinois — we head down to Springfield for the Rural Transit Assistance Center’s annual conference, where representatives from transit agencies from across the state have gathered to figure out how to demonstrate their worth for federal funding.

For more, visit www.midstory.org/in-rural-illinois-advocates-are-keeping-the-faith-in-public-transit/

In this episode of In Transit, we travel to Illinois, where a proposed bill seeks to address public transportation inefficiencies and funding problems by combining Chicago’s transit agencies into a single entity. With ridership numbers yet to recover from the pandemic and the looming threat of a $770 million budget shortfall, government and transit officials need a solution. Could consolidation be the answer? Or would it create more issues than it solves?

For more, visit www.midstory.org/minding-the-gap-on-the-st-louis-metrolink/could-consolidation-save-illinois-public-transit-from-a-major-derailment/

In this episode of In Transit, we travel to St. Louis, where the city’s light rail is undergoing a comprehensive security upgrade. Transit officials claim that the Secure Platform Plan will finally address the public safety concerns that have hampered the system for decades, but some riders wonder who these changes are really meant to serve.

For more, visit www.midstory.org/minding-the-gap-on-the-st-louis-metrolink/