Johnson-Backed Law Delivers Major Investment in Affordable Transit for Downstate Communities

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Nearly $150 million in new funding for downstate communities will expand access to affordable, reliable public transit options in Central Illinois under a major transportation reform law passed by state Rep. Gregg Johnson, D-Rock Island.

“This is about more than just convenient transportation – this rail line will be a lifeline to our community, creating economic development, enabling the growth of Western Illinois University, and supercharging our growing tourism industry,” said Johnson. “That growth in the economic and academic sectors will help grow our community and provide quality options to our kids’ generation so that they don’t have to leave home to find the opportunities they need.”

The 54 transit agencies serving communities outside of the Chicago area offer an affordable way for people to get to work, get home, and go to the store—and people in downstate communities rely on these options more than 30 million times every year. While many have focused on the challenges facing Chicago transit, Johnson worked to call attention to the state’s chronic underfunding of downstate public transportation systems.

Johnson passed Senate Bill 2111, which provides a historic level of new investment in downstate transit systems, delivering $129 million to improve operations and an additional $20 million to expand service and improve infrastructure—without new taxes or fees on downstate communities. Johnson’s law achieves this record funding using existing state funds and interest generated from the state’s Transportation Fund—not on higher fares or taxes on delivery services, event tickets, or rideshares.

The new law also prioritizes efficiency, by creating an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transit Innovation, Integration, and Reform within the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to better integrate various downstate transit systems.

Senate Bill 2111 was signed into law Tuesday.