Chicago City Wire

GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey greeted transit-goers at the Belmont train station in Chicago on the final day before Tuesday's election.

“My team and I had a great time working the Belmont train station platforms this morning! We are connecting with voters in every place possible to Get Out The Vote! Our movement is growing. People are tired of the politics as usual and want real and they know I am the only candidate in the race who will stand up to the political insiders and fight for real reform. We need everyone to get out and vote and make JB Pritzker a one-term governor," Bailey said.

According to The Center Square, Metra, which is the rail commuter system serving Chicago and the suburbs, could run out of funds when federal operating funds expire in 2025. 

Metra has used $705 million in federal COVID-19 funds to balance its budget through 2024. Metra ridership had been falling gradually since 2014 due to new work schedules, but with COVID-19, ridership really fell off. P.S. Sriraj, director of the Urban Transportation Center at the University of Illinois Chicago said, "I don't think that ridership will ever go back to what it was. But to what levels it will drop is the more important question.” 

In 2019, Metra provided 74 million rides; in 2020 that fell to 18.6 million, and in 2021 the number was 14.1 million. This caused revenue to decline by 34.2% from 2020 to 2021. 

Sriraj went on to note that the pandemic brought to the forefront a growing problem for public transit: That people are using it less due to changing work schedules. Right now, Metra still has operating funds, and its main focus is increasing ridership over the next couple of years.

The city's trians have also become a hotbed of violence. 

According to NBC 5 Chicago, Chicago Police and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) are investigating after a man was hit over the head with a wine bottle and robbed on the CTA Red Line. It was all caught on video and posted to Facebook. 

The video shows the suspects reaching into the victim’s pocket to steal his wallet, and as the victim gets up, a suspect hits him in the head with the wine bottle, leaving the suspect bleeding. Alderman and mayoral candidate Ray Lopez said, “It’s painful to watch. You feel the pain.” Lopez is advocating for more safety on the CTA as these attacks occur with more frequency.

Bailey has been staying in Chicago for several months while he runs for governor. On his website, Bailey describes himself as a fiscally conservative family man, farmer rural Illinoisan.

“Darren firmly believes in fiscal responsibility and knows that every penny matters. Raising taxes hurts hardworking Illinois families and is not a solution for a state with some of the highest tax burdens in the entire nation. In the state legislature, Darren has fought against tax hikes and reckless spending and advocated for more business-friendly policies. As governor, he will work to lower both property and income taxes,” the website reads.