Hi, I'm reporter Hannah Edgar. We've all been there. We're waiting for the CTA train, and as it pulls up, it's too full to even get on.

And great. The next train coming is delayed. That's nothing new to Bridget Peterson. She was waiting for the red line train to go to work at the Belmont L on a rainy weekday.

It used to take me 45 minutes flat to get from Evanston to downtown.

Now I have to put in an hour and 15 just for buffer to get their own time.

So it added an extra like 20 minutes at least.

Bridget says the extra time and unpredictability are major reasons why she only works at the office

a couple times a week. I have seen a little bit more frequency in the consistency of the trains,

but it's still not what it was pre-COVID.

Bridget's experience is echoed by commuters across the country. Like other transit agencies, the CTA is facing a labor shortage, which is head cascading effects on service.

Back in 2018, Curious City answered a question about what it was like to be a CTA rail operator.

Operators had a lot of pride in the job.

It pays well.

It comes with good benefits, and it's stable because,

hey, everybody needs transit. On the flip side, it can be mentally and physically taxing.

You're on your feet all day. It's repetitive. Here's former rail operator, Deborah Lane.

So say like when your brakes go out in the car, you take it to a mechanic. Well, when the brakes go out on the train, we are the mechanic.

So it's been five years. What's different today? Well, the job description hasn't really changed. But today, the CTA is facing a whole host of challenges that would have been

unimaginable in 2018. For one, no one knew how to plan for a pandemic. The agency is facing a major

workforce shortage and ridership hasn't bounced back. Plus, the CTA, Metra, and Pay Systems

are facing a combined $730 million fiscal cliff once their federal relief funds dry up in 2026.

Coming up, we'll revisit the 2018 story from reporter John Fasiel on what it's like to be a rail operator.

Then we'll take a look at what the CTA is up against today.

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