CTA Tattler

Maybe they can make up the budget shortfall by delaying the construction at Belmont and Fullerton and just letting things go back to normal for a couple years.

Everybody give your loose change to the CTA to help them out. I got an extra $3.77 in my office drawer....does that help with the budget?

Kevin, the Civic Federation also said CTA should cut late night service and raise fares. Are you saying you're in favor of that?

In all fairness, public transit/rail services have been neglected in favor of air/road travel in the U.S. by the federal, state and local governments for far too long.

With that being said, I'm not convinced that the RTA/CTA has done everything creatively possible to manage as best they can in such a climate.

With highly visible quirks such as blotched rail system maps, idling buses burning expensive fuel instead of being switched off, granite sidewalk compasses in front of rail stations, it's painful to think about other inefficiencies hidden from public view.

The CTA likely needs new management, but the question remains how can current and future budget woes be addressed properly?

Since government is balking at dishing out more cash, we are likely to see some service reductions if the CTA loses the staredown.

And if that's the case, we might just see fewer buses and trains (especially at night), with some bus lines being eliminated all together.

Chicago is being hit with at least a double whammy.

We need more citizens consistently involved and effective transit leadership who can both bring about a legitimate (and diversified) long-term source of transit funding.

The whole cta organization needs a huge gut, Outside people need to be brought in, people who have extensive knowledge of public transit systems and how to run them. Under the current circumstances and management cuts are going to be made reguardless, once these current construction projects go overbudget, the cta in its current form is doomed, and so are the people who depend on it.

The CTA can't even take care of its existing infastructure let alone building new stations or expansions , More drastic things need to be done, such as citizen ballot initiatives (I like the idea of one to halt the brown line construction and block37) Legal obstacles are the only way to get the cta to stop these rediculous construction projects (random new 3rd track being laid on the congress, just west of the portal)

If you look at the Pace budget ( http://www.pacebus.com/pdf/2007%20Budget%20Book/Suburban%20Service/ENTIRE%20Suburban%20Service%20Document.pdf ) and consider reports about the Metra Budget (apparently not posted on its site as of now) the only thing "Moving Beyond Congestion" means is that the service boards are looking to the legislature to somehow come up with $200 to $300 million in new money, which means they are only united to increase taxes. Pace says: "the agency faces a
severe cash flow problem due to the fact that $104.686 million ($22.876 million Suburban Service and $81.810 million Regional ADA) is all new money, dependent upon approval by the Illinois General Assembly and if approved, will not be available to Pace until eight months of operations have already lapsed. Pace does not have sufficient resources to support operations during this period. The RTA will have to provide Pace with a sufficient amount of working cash to ensure that status quo operations can be maintained."

Both the Pace and CTA budgets basically said that the RTA told them to budget the money, even though it hasn't been appropriated.
Of course, we taxpayers can trust Illinois politicians to be careful stewards of our money. ;)

A new metra stop is coming for Sox fans. I bet a few CTA people are seething:

chicagotribune.com >> Business

Metra plans rail stop near Sox ballpark

Published October 14, 2006

CHICAGO -- After years of balking at the prospect, Metra has decided to make it easier for fans to attend White Sox games.

As early as the 2008 baseball season, a new Metra station could open along the Rock Island line, which runs through the heart of traditional Sox territory on the South Side and in the southwest suburbs.

The commuter rail line's board of directors on Friday approved an $800,000 design contract for a new station at 35th Street, just across the Dan Ryan Expressway from U.S. Cellular Field.

more here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0610140230oct14,0,5768031.story?coll=chi-business-hed

Save money - fire Kruesi!

The Daily Herald has a story on the real impact, adding all three boards together:
http://www.dailyherald.com/search/searchstory.asp?id=238371

When metra starts gambling with money it shows there is a problem besides kruesi and company having delusions and being crooks. People need to start a campaign and legal process to get block37 halted, that money can go elsewhere. The cta is honestly being suicidal with our public transit, and it needs to stop now.

i think one of the biggest issues is most people are not informed of what the cta is doing with its money And how everybody who rides public transit is being screwed royally, sad thing is most people dont listen or care till its too late, and those people will be the ones who suffer most when they have to get up 2 hours early and walk more because the bus route near them got canned