Metra and Pace injury claims now sit under a law that did not exist a year ago. On June 1, 2026, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority replaced the Regional Transportation Authority. Riders noticed the headlines about funding and fares. Almost nobody noticed a single sentence in the same law that governs lawsuits. It sets a one year deadline for injury and wrongful death claims against the transit agencies by name. For a commuter hurt on the BNSF line out of Aurora or on a Pace bus in Kane County, that sentence controls the case.
What follows covers what the new law changed, how the deadline works, what a carrier owes its passengers, and which evidence disappears first.
What Changed on June 1
Public Act 104-0457 rebuilt the region’s transit government. The new authority, known as NITA, took over from the RTA. Metra, Pace, and the CTA continue to run the trains and buses as service boards under it. The authority’s own transition timeline lays out the dates, including new board appointments this fall.
That same Act rewrote the lawsuit provision. Before, the text set a one year limit for civil actions against the Authority. The amended version, in effect since June 1, covers the Authority or a Service Board.
One Year to File
You can find the rule in 70 ILCS 3615/5.03. No one may bring a civil action for personal injury or wrongful death against the Authority or a Service Board unless the action starts within one year. The year runs from the date the cause of action accrued, which usually means the day of the injury. A family’s wrongful death claim falls under the same sentence of the statute.
Compare that with an ordinary crash. A driver rear ended by a private car on Lake Street in Aurora has two years. A passenger thrown from a seat on a Pace bus on the same street has one.
Filing a claim form does not stop the clock. Neither does a phone call with a claims representative. Only a lawsuit filed in court within the year satisfies the statute.
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Carriers Owe Passengers More
The short deadline favors the agencies. The standard of care favors riders. Illinois treats buses and trains as common carriers. A common carrier owes its passengers the highest degree of care consistent with running the service. An ordinary driver owes only reasonable care.
That higher duty covers the whole trip. It applies while a passenger boards, rides, and steps off. A driver who pulls away before an older rider sits down can breach it. So can an operator who brakes hard for no reason, or a crew that closes doors on someone.
The duty has an edge. It protects passengers. A pedestrian struck by a bus, or a motorist hit at a grade crossing, relies on ordinary negligence rules.
Platforms and stations add another layer. A fall on an icy platform or a broken stair raises premises questions. The answer can depend on which body owns and maintains the station, and some suburban stations belong to the municipality.
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More Than One Defendant
Transit cases often involve several parties. Start with the service board that runs the route. Then look at who actually operated the vehicle.
Commuter rail shows why. A private railroad has long operated the BNSF line for Metra under a service contract. A claim from that line may involve the railroad alongside the public agency. Different deadlines and defenses can apply to each.
Other drivers matter too. When a car cuts off a bus and passengers fall, the car’s driver may bear most of the fault. That claim follows the regular two year rule and the driver’s own insurance. A lawyer should identify every one of these parties in the first weeks, while the short clock still leaves room.
Evidence With a Short Life
Modern buses and trains record nearly everything. Cameras cover the aisle, the doors, and the road ahead. Onboard systems log speed and braking. Operators file incident reports before a shift ends.
None of that stays available for long. Agencies overwrite video on a schedule. A written preservation demand, sent within days, puts the agency on notice to keep it. Without the footage, a hard braking case becomes one rider’s word against an operator’s.
Your own record matters as well. Note the route, the vehicle number, the direction of travel, and the time. Keep the fare receipt or the app record that places you on board. Get names from other passengers before they scatter at the next stop.
What a Claim Does Not Include
Public transit defendants keep a few advantages after a verdict. Illinois adds 6 percent yearly interest to most injury judgments while a lawsuit sits. Government bodies owe none of it. Delay costs a transit agency less than it costs a private insurer, so these cases reward early filing even more.
The CTA Follows Its Own Statute
Riders inside Chicago should not assume one rulebook. The CTA operates under a separate act with its own history, which we explain in our guide to CTA bus and train accident claims. The practical lesson matches. Treat every transit injury as a one year case until a lawyer tells you otherwise.
Were you hurt on a train platform, a commuter car, or a suburban bus? Our public transportation accident team sends preservation demands the week you call and files well inside the one year limit. People struck by a bus while walking have claims too, and our Aurora pedestrian accident lawyer page explains how those differ. We serve riders across the Fox Valley and Chicago.
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