The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued a special directive to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) regarding safety issues, accusing them of failing to properly leverage their authority to protect Chicago passengers and transit workers. The FTA accused IDOT of failing on-site safety inspections, disfunding federal grant dollars in accordance with FTA rules, and failing to ensure the CTA notified the FTA of accidents on time. The directive requires IDOT to take various actions to strengthen its oversight of the CATA, including conducting on-side safety inspections and reviewing the CETA's in-house hazard assessments. The federal agency also warned that it may require IDOT, which has some oversight over the Cta's rail system, to use federal funds to correct safety issues.