The next CTA leader will face the task of helping to rebuild trust in the agency, after years of complaints about service, personal safety and conditions on buses and trains

The Chicago Transit Authority announced Wednesday that chief of staff Nora Leerhsen will take over as acting president of the transit agency when current President Dorval Carter Jr. retires at the end of the month.

Outgoing Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter capped his nearly 10-year run leading the massive agency at a board meeting Wednesday, saying he’d be “forever grateful for this opportunity to serve our customers (and) the people of the city of Chicago.

Nora Leerhsen, CTA's chief of staff, is taking over as interim president days after the agency's embattled former chief announced he was stepping down.

Carter’s resignation comes as a debate brews in Springfield about whether to combine the CTA with Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority.

Chicago Transit Agency President Dorval Carter Jr. announced Monday his intention to retire from the agency at the end of the month to become a hospital CEO. (

Carter announced this morning that he’ll retire by the end of the month, capping a long CTA career that has turned rocky over the last few years. In today’s newsletter, we’re digging into Carter’s career and complicated relationship with the City Council,

CTA president and CEO Dorval Carter announced Monday he'll retire at the end of the month. Why it matters: Carter has been under fire in recent years from other city officials and CTA riders who think the leader hasn't done enough to improve service since the pandemic decimated ridership.