SPRINGFIELD – Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded the State of Illinois a total of $1,623,200,130 in federal transit formula funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The funding will allow Illinois’s transit agencies to continue operations during the COVID-19 response ensuring transportation access to jobs, medical treatment, food, and other essential services remains available. Transit agencies in Illinois are being severely impacted by a significant reduction in fare box revenue and dedicated sales taxes due to the pandemic.
“As Illinoisans practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has impacted our transportation agencies throughout the state. Today’s federal funding will help Illinois maintain essential mass transit services while travel is reduced in the state,” Durbin said.
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“Public transit agencies across Illinois are facing historic challenges that reflect the necessary and important precautions communities are taking to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s critical that we provide these agencies with the means to weather this storm,” said Duckworth. “This federal funding will go a long way towards ensuring that our transportation systems overcome the challenges of this public health crisis.”
