CTA safety oversight is now the focus of a new federal action. On March 17, the Federal Transit Administration said it had opened a safety management inspection. It targets the Illinois Department of Transportation’s oversight of the Chicago Transit Authority rail system.

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CTA safety oversight and the FTA directive

Also, the agency issued Special Directive 26-1, which requires IDOT to complete 11 steps. In addition, FTA officials said this in a press release. They said the steps include carrying out recommendations from an April 2025 audit. That audit examined IDOT’s oversight of the CTA rail system.

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Meanwhile, the inspection is meant to determine the root causes of IDOT’s oversight deficiencies. Also, those 11 actions are meant to address those problems more quickly. At the same time, federal officials said the directive was needed to address unsafe conditions. Still, they said IDOT has not made enough progress on long-term safety concerns at CTA.

Deficiencies cited in IDOT oversight

Separately, the administration cited four deficiencies:

  • a limited onsite presence
  • weak accident investigation governance
  • ineffective corrective action plan management
  • minimal use of its enforcement authority

CTA security enhancement plan and state response

Still, Illinois Gov JB Pritzker posted on X.com on March 17. He described the FTA’s move as a “sham investigation.”

Meanwhile, the CTA submitted a revised security enhancement plan to the FTA for review. That submission was previously covered by Railway Supply. This came one week before the inspection involving IDOT. On Dec. 8, 2025, the FTA had ordered the CTA to provide a safety plan. In addition, that order addressed assaults on transit workers and other public safety concerns.

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