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hicago Transit Authority (CTA) is one of few transit systems that maintained full scheduled service throughout 2020 during the peak of the nationwide COVID-19 pandemic. CTA President Dorval Carter held fast to the belief that essential workers and the community-at-large needed reliable and safe transportation during the national crisis. His leadership kept the Chicagoland area moving during 2020, thereby creating business opportunities for small and diverse companies during the resulting economic recession. Carter’s leadership and the stellar performance of the CTA organization were recognized by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) with two awards during their virtual 2021 APTA Awards Program. CTA received the 2020 Large Transit System of the Year award and President Dorval Carter received the Agency Executive of the Year award. In making the award to CTA, APTA said in a press release: “Few transit agencies in the United States have made more progress in modernizing their system over the last several years than the Chicago Transit Authority. CTA has completed, started work on, or begun planning more than $8 billion in improvement projects, among them: reconstruction or rehabilitation of 40 CTA rail stations—nearly 30 percent of the entire rail system; purchase of the CTA’s newest-generation electric buses, delivery of CTA’s newest-generation railcars and started the largest capital project in CTA history, the Red and Purple Modernization project.” Carter was recognized for his success in guiding the agency trough the numerous challenges created by the pandemic, and for oversight of a record level of investment in the transit system. APTA also honored Carter for his commitment and leadership in creating greater equity. APTA said in a press release:
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Transit President Dorval Carter Leads CTA to APTA Awards for Excellence and Equity “Equity and fairness have been guiding principles for Carter since he joined the CTA as staff attorney in the 1980s, and he has continually been a catalyst for expanding equitable opportunities. Through outreach, engagement and innovative partnerships, Carter has ensured that CTA investments directly boost the communities in which they are made and provide opportunities for those who live in those communities.”
In response to the award announcements, CTA President Carter said: “It is an honor to receive these awards, because they are a recognition of the commitment and dedication our employees showed throughout the pandemic. It stands as a statement of the resilience, creativity and innovation that our agency showed during this time, which we are grateful to be recognized for.”
