Transport Department Initiates Safety Audit of Chicago’s Transit System

Addressing what it called turmoil and unsafe rider conditions, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced March 17 that it will inspect Chicago’s rail transit system and direct the local authority to improve its oversight.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), an agency within the DOT, will initiate a safety inspection of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), which is responsible for Chicago rail system safety.

“IDOT has not properly leveraged its oversight authority and resources to protect Chicago passengers and transit workers,” according to the FTA.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said, “It shouldn’t take federal intervention for Illinois to take oversight of [the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)] seriously.”

Responding to the announcement, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a March 17 post on X: “As the Trump Admin fails to keep airports running and make transit safer, Sec. Duffy launched a sham investigation into our local transit. Maybe when you care less about pajamas at the airport and more about real solutions as we do, we’ll take note. Get back to work, Sean.”

The governor was referring to airport delays caused by the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which runs the Transportation Security Administration among other agencies.

Safety Issues, Crime Data

In a notification letter from Transportation Department Associate Administrator Joe DeLorenzo addressed to IDOT Secretary Gia Biagi, DeLorenzo wrote that based on multiple federal safety oversight activities, the FTA determined that IDOT oversight has been insufficient, and created “ongoing risk to passengers, workers, and the public.”

The inspection seeks to determine the root causes and the best way to address “longstanding deficiencies with IDOT’s oversight,” the letter said.

The CTA operates one of the largest combined heavy rail and bus transit systems in the country, servicing over a million passenger trips each weekday across Chicago and its 35 surrounding suburbs. The operation is supported by a workforce of more than 11,000 employees.

Some of the issues flagged by the FTA include limited IDOT onsite presence, inadequate investigations, and minimal use of enforcement authority.

The Epoch Times reached out to IDOT for comment but did not receive any response by publication time.

Based on latest Chicago Police Department data, there have been 261 crimes, reported at different CTA locations, since the start of the year. That’s down from 293 for the same period last year.

There were 132 crimes reported on trains, 70 crimes in buses and bus stops, and 52 in platforms and stations. Out of these, there was one homicide, 94 larceny-thefts, 71 robberies, 60 batteries, 22 assaults, 12 sexual assaults, and four shooting incidents.

Some of the places where the Trump administration launched initiatives to ensure safety on transit systems include Washington D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, North Carolina’s Charlotte Area, and Philadelphia.

According to the Transportation Department, Washington Metro saw crime reported on its trains down by over 30 percent, and criminal incidents on buses down by nearly 40 percent in 2025 following federal intervention.

Metro Los Angeles is hiring its first-ever police chief to lead a dedicated transit police force, while Philadelphia’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is launching a virtual patrol division to monitor over 30,000 cameras, and putting more officers on trains.

San Francisco’s BART system is installing Next Generation Fare Gates at all 50 BART stations to combat fare evasion.