Last Wednesday before 800 people in downtown Chicago’s Millennium Park, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) unveiled a vision for the Chicago region’s future called “GO TO 2040,” a document that lays out a roadmap for the future of the city of Chicago and the metro area toward a more sustainable future.

A new study by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning shows that while total miles of car travel in the Chicago area has dropped by nearly five percent since last year, congestion in the region has managed to get worse. (Chicago Tribune — Jon Hilkevitch)

Chicago Transit Authority officials consider raising fares, and generating $42 million in revenue, in order to offset high fuel prices and a slumping economy. (Associated Press)

A commitment from Congress to spend $13 billion over the next five years to fund Amtrak is sparking an interest in linking the Midwest’s big cities with efficient, clean, high-speed rail. (Chicago Tribune — Jon Hilkevitch)

The jump is ridership for many transit agencies is here to stay, and a professor at DePaul University says that mass transit has “gained respectability in ways that would have been hard to imagine a few years ago.” (Chicago Sun-Times — Mary Wisniewski)

With three suburban counties outside Chicago getting more power on the area’s Regional Transportation Authority board, residents outside of the city could have a greater say on transit issues affecting the region. (Mass Transit — Marni Pyke)

Chicago Transit Authority becomes yet another agency to face soaring ridership and skyrocketing costs, and transit officials are now cutting $40 million and expecting to raise fares. (Chicago Tribune — Jon Hilkevitch)

A new report from Chicago’s Metropolitan Planning Council estimates that traffic is punishing the city to the tune of $7.3 billion a year. (Streetsblog – Ben Fried)

Chicago’s mayor takes a ride on China’s $7.7 billion subway in order to find clues for improving his own city’s transit system. (Chicago Tribune — Kathy Bergen)