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.

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

Chicago Transit Authority Board members met Wednesday to appoint a new interim leader after longtime president Dorval Carter announced his retirement.

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

CTA President Dorval Carter, Jr. announced his retirement at the end of the month after 40 years of service in public transportation. "The City of Chicago is grateful to President Dorval Carter for his decades of service with the Chicago Transit Authority,

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.

Dorval Carter has been the president of the agency since 2015 and has recent pressure from city council and others to resign.

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.

CTA President Dorval Carter's retirement comes as the agency has reeled in substantial federal funding and after numerous Block Club Chicago investigations put a spotlight on how the system's leaders failed its riders and workforce.

The exec who has fiercely defended the Chicago Transit Authority's independence against calls to consolidate with Metra and Pace is retiring.