Heartland Urbanist

Chicago's Massive Bet on Regional Rail

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Chicago is making a historic move. Leveraging Illinois's recent $1.5 billion investment in Chicago transit, they're working to turn Metra from commuter rail into a true regional rail network.

For 40 years, Metra has been the definition of commuter rail: a system designed solely to move 9-to-5 workers from the suburbs to the Loop. But with remote work changing the landscape and a "fiscal cliff" looming, that model collapsed.

In late 2025, Illinois passed a landmark transit bill creating the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) and funding a massive pivot. Today, we breakdown exactly what regional rail means, how it differs from the system Chicago has, and whether Chicago can avoid the mistakes made in similar transition in Toronto.

In this video:

  • The Difference: What actually is Regional Rail vs. Commuter Rail?
  • The Plan: Inside the $1.5 billion investment and the new "NITA" super-agency.
  • The Tech: Why Battery Electric Trains (BEMUs) are essential to regional rail.
  • The Reality Check: Lessons from Germany's S-Bahn and Toronto's GO Transit.

    • References & Further Reading:

    My Metra, Our Future (Strategic Plan): https://assets.metra.com/s3fs-public/2024-11/My_Metra_Our_Future.pdf
    CMAP Plan of Action for Regional Transit (PART) Report: https://cmap.illinois.gov/wp-content/uploads/Plan-of-Action-for-Regional-Transit_Dec2023.pdf
    Details on the Stadler BEMU Order: https://metra.com/newsroom/metra-buying-battery-powered-trainsets
    Metrolinx/GO Transit Expansion Plans: https://www.metrolinx.com/en/projects-and-programs/go-expansion

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