Transport Chicago 2025 Agenda

June 14 | voco Chicago Downtown
350 W Wolf Point Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654

Looking to register for the 2025 conference?

Please note that each block in the sessions below may include multiple presentations. Blocks are comprise the following rooms:

Loop Elevated, Red Line, Blue Line, Green Line,

8:00-8:45 AM • Registration - Breakfast

8:45-9:45 AM • Morning Keynote with …

  • Edith Makra directs sustainability initiatives for the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, a coalition of 275 mayors in the greater Chicago region. Makra developed the Greenest Region Compact, a consensus sustainability pledge now adopted by 159 Chicago-area communities, forming the largest regional municipal sustainability collaborative in the US. She has led the creation of the first climate action plan for the Chicago region and is now leading municipalities to prepare for transportation electrification.  
     
    Makra previously served as the first environmental advisor to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and has directed state-wide and regional environmental programs in Illinois and Massachusetts.  
     
    She has a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Illinois; an Executive Sustainability Certificate from Harvard University; and is an International Society of Sustainability Professionals –Sustainability Excellence Professional; and is a Climate Change Professional, Certified by the Association of Climate Change Officers. 

10:00-11:00AM • Session 1

Loop Elevated

Funding Strategies for Regional Transit as the Fiscal Cliff Approaches CM | 1

  • ​Maulik Vaishnav; Senior Deputy Executive Director, Planning & Capital Programming, Regional Transportation Authority

  • Kate Lowe, Ph.D.; Associate Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Policy, UIC College of Urban Planning and Planning Affairs

  • ​Thomas Bamonte; Senior Advisor, Metropolitan Planning Council

  • The federal relief for transit operations will run out in our region in early 2026, potentially leaving a 20+% budget hole that could lead to dramatic service cuts. As transit agencies, stakeholders, and advocates gear up for state legislative action to adequately fund transit, we are in need of more open conversations on the future of transit that we want to see. CMAP's PART plan offered some high level recommendations on transit funding and governance reform, but a lot more work lies ahead to dig deeper on numbers, build a coalition, and advance transit priorities.

An Urban Core Congestion Pricing System for the Chicago Region

  • This presentation will outline a cordon-based congestion fee system for the Chicago region and provide an interactive opportunity for audience members to weigh in on the merits of that system and supply their ideas for optimizing such a system. Congestion fee systems are gaining traction in leading global metros, most recently in New York City. The Chicago region faces the same challenges that prompted other metros to adopt congestion fee systems.

    This project assessed three CMAP PART Plan recommendations for user fees to provide transit funding and analyzed for the region:

    • traffic flow, tolling, and transit service data;

    • technology and institutional capabilities; 

    • where externalities associated with single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) driving are concentrated;

    • equity implications of roadway pricing; and

    • best practices from congestion pricing systems elsewhere.


    The project found that the CMAP roadway user fee options were too broad (Tollway toll hike), too narrow (Chicago CBD cordon), and too impractical (tolling "free" expressways). It concluded that ISTHA's Tri-State (I-294) should mark the boundary separating the urban core from the rest of the region. The urban core congestion fee will be collected using existing ISHTA technology. Proceeds will be used to fund improved transit services within and connecting into the urban core. The revenue potential is very high even at relatively low fee levels. 

What is Next for Transit Funding Cliff?

Red Line

Three Pillars of Transit Access: Coverage, Service, and Fares CM | 1

Destination DeKalb: Expanding Commuter Rail Access in Northern Illinois

  • Matt Orenchuk; Principal + Transit and Rail Practice Leader, Sam Schwartz

Post-COVID Transit Planning - Metro Transit's Network Now

  • Matthew Stegeman; Transit Planning Lead, SRF Consulting

  • Cyndi Harper; Senior Manager, Route and Service Planning, Metro Transit (Twin Cities, MN)

  • During the pandemic we learned our transit systems are not suited to serve many trips beyond traditional weekday commutes. For transit to survive in 2024 and beyond, we must pivot to connect people to where they want to travel. DeKalb sits on the periphery of Chicagoland, approximately 15 miles from the end of the Metra Union Pacific West line in Elburn. The city conducted a feasibility study in 2023 to understand the implications of extending Metra service. While the distance is short and DeKalb would be a natural fit for a Metra terminal with 40,000 people and Northern Illinois University, the solutions are not so simple. 

    The chief issue is that DeKalb it is not in the six-county Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) area. Despite the short distance and the fact that Metra service already operates nearby, a decision made more than five decades ago on RTA's service area is one of the primary hurdles for the project. In short, Metra and RTA would have to break precedent to extend the service.

    This talk will focus on DeKalb's desire to extend commuter rail service, the political and economic hurdles it faces to do so, and the massive benefit it stands to gain if the project can be brought to fruition. It is a story of frustration and potential – how the connection that makes the most sense on paper is not necessarily the one that happens in real life, and what we can do in Northern Illinois to expand transit's reach

  • This presentation will outline a cordon-based congestion fee system for the Chicago region and provide an interactive opportunity for audience members to weigh in on the merits of that system and supply their ideas for optimizing such a system. Congestion fee systems are gaining traction in leading global metros, most recently in New York City. The Chicago region faces the same challenges that prompted other metros to adopt congestion fee systems.

    This project assessed three CMAP PART Plan recommendations for user fees to provide transit funding and analyzed for the region:

    • traffic flow, tolling, and transit service data;

    • technology and institutional capabilities; 

    • where externalities associated with single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) driving are concentrated;

    • equity implications of roadway pricing; and

    • best practices from congestion pricing systems elsewhere.


    The project found that the CMAP roadway user fee options were too broad (Tollway toll hike), too narrow (Chicago CBD cordon), and too impractical (tolling "free" expressways). It concluded that ISTHA's Tri-State (I-294) should mark the boundary separating the urban core from the rest of the region. The urban core congestion fee will be collected using existing ISHTA technology. Proceeds will be used to fund improved transit services within and connecting into the urban core. The revenue potential is very high even at relatively low fee levels. 

Building a More Equitable Fare Structure: Access Pilot

  • Peter Kersten; Program Manager, Strategic Plan Implementation, Regional Transportation Authority

  • Transit connects the most vulnerable people in our region to jobs, healthcare, and other opportunities. Chicago's regional transit system gives thousands of residents with disabilities and older adults independence through ADA paratransit and reduced fare and ride free programs. Fully funding and expanding regional reduced fare and ride free programs increases access for those residents who need it most. Making paying for transit more seamless and affordable is a commitment RTA made in Transit is the Answer. 

    In February RTA, in partnership with Metra and Cook County, launched the Access Pilot to offer a reduced fare Metra ticket to any individuals living in households currently receiving Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This presentation will provide initial lessons learned from the pilot while digging deeper into broader fare equity analysis the RTA is currently conducting.

    This project assessed three CMAP PART Plan recommendations for user fees to provide transit funding and analyzed for the region:

    • traffic flow, tolling, and transit service data;

    • technology and institutional capabilities; 

    • where externalities associated with single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) driving are concentrated;

    • equity implications of roadway pricing; and

    • best practices from congestion pricing systems elsewhere.


    The project found that the CMAP roadway user fee options were too broad (Tollway toll hike), too narrow (Chicago CBD cordon), and too impractical (tolling "free" expressways). It concluded that ISTHA's Tri-State (I-294) should mark the boundary separating the urban core from the rest of the region. The urban core congestion fee will be collected using existing ISHTA technology. Proceeds will be used to fund improved transit services within and connecting into the urban core. The revenue potential is very high even at relatively low fee levels.