The Latest Breaking News from CTA

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Most California voters think the state is headed in the wrong direction, yet they intend to reelect the governor who's leading us there. That seems wrongheaded.

In a talk with the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. acknowledges the transit agency’s shortcomings, defends decisions to address them.

In the illustration, a sun-splashed residential block is lined with spindly trees as tall as the buildings, a bike lane bustles with riders, people cross the street by foot or wheelchair — and there’s not a driver in sight. “Make streets safer for Chicagoans who walk, bike, roll and ride,”…

The CTA also released a $3.4 billion, five-year capital improvement plan which looks to invest in major projects such as the Red Line extension and modernize CTA’s bus fleet and railroad cars.

Ghost trains and buses are far more common on weekends than weekdays, even though weekends are becoming “peak” times. Why not adjust scheduling to meet riders’ needs?

No matter how potentially vital the Red Line extension may be, the CTA must help its case for getting the money by better tending to the system as it exists now.

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

Commuters Take Action, a coalition of riders bitter about being ghosted by buses and trains, say complaints of no-show buses have remained the same since CTA unveiled its “Meeting the Moment” plan.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is pushing for a final City Council vote on her financing plan before Dec. 31 to meet the requirement for federal matching funds. But it could be a rough ride, judging from the earful Planning and Development Commissioner Maurice Cox got about the project while testifying at…