Chicagoland Transit Agencies
The key players in Chicagoland transit are the agencies that plan, coordinate, and provide service. Here's an overview of these agencies:
RTA: Regional Transportation Authority
The RTA is an agency that oversees operations, reviews finances for, and coordinates and plans with CTA, Metra, and Pace to provide a regional transportation network for Chicagoland.
CTA: Chicago Transit Authority ("L" and city bus)
Serving Chicago and dozens of nearby suburbs, CTA is the nation's second largest transit provider. CTA was created as an independent governmental agency by an act of the Illinois General Assembly in 1947, acquiring and assuming the operations of three private entities providing transit in and around Chicago.
It has a "service area" that covers 3.8 million residents (that's about a third of Illinois' population!), and provides approximately 1.6 million trips on an average work day. With eight rail routes on The "L" (elevated/subway rapid transit) and over 150 bus routes, CTA vehicles travel approximately 400,000 miles on weekdays.
Metra: Metropolitan Rail (Commuter Rail)
Metra (officially the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation) is a regional/commuter railroad system that serves all of Chicagoland. With 11 lines and 237 stations, Metra trains serve approximately 300,000 people on an average weekday. Created in 1983 as part of the RTA act, Metra began operation in 1984.
Lines reach as far as Kenosha, Elgin, Aurora, and Joliet, and are today's remaining services from the days of the great "steam roads," such as the Chicago and North Western, The Milwaukee Road, and The Rock Island Line. Metra services (either provided entirely by Metra or in conjunction with predecessor railways as they exist today) almost all commuter rail service from Chicago far into the suburbs south, west, and north.
Pace (Suburban Bus)
Pace was created in 1983 to consolidate suburban bus companies that provided services throughout the six-county Chicago area, beginning operations in 1984. Pace's service area includes 5.2 million people, serves 210 communities, makes connections with about 150 Metra commuter rail and CTA rapid transit facilities, and provided 34.4 million rides in 2004 over its 240 fixed bus routes.
Pace also provides all paratransit services through the region, which is an essential service to help people with disabilities get to and from work, family, doctors, and important services.
Additionally, Pace provides dial-a-ride and coordinated vanpool transit services. In addition to its regular bus fleet, Pace owns 363 paratransit buses and 600 vanpool vehicles.