CTA Tattler

Funding woes got you down? Ride the Santa Train!

Special legislative session No. 18 came and went Thursday, just as the other 17 did -- without a solution to the transit funding crisis.

The good news is that Rep. Julie Hamos now recognizes that a capital spending bill will have to be linked with any transit bailout. Now her task is to convince Mike Madigan.

So, good luck with that Julie.

Holiday Train on the Blue Line. So, don't you feel festive after all this? Well then, you can catch Santa and his nutty CTA elves tonight on the Blue Line. They leave Forest Park at 6:19 pm, hit the Loop's Washington station at 6:48, and make it out to O'Hare by 7:39. Give or take a delay or two. Really, it's kind of fun to ride. Today's full schedule here. Future schedule here.

Political games not at all entertaining

So the state House turned down a vote on the plan to divert the state sales tax on gas sales to mass transit --at least for now. (And if they do approve it later, fares still may may rise.) Seems like many legislators wanted to make sure the casino bill was passed to fund state capital needs first.

And I'm OK with that. After all, there will be bucks in there for CTA capital needs as well.

But I don't like Madigan getting everyone's hopes up that this bill could pass without the casino/capital bill. As the Tribune reports:

. . . Madigan and Hamos drew "taunts from Republicans who complained that calling the bill for a vote was a just a political game.

"Oh, Julie, come on. You know this is all a bunch of baloney," said Rep. Rosemary Mulligan (R-Des Plaines)."

Yes, but we knew that.

Sigh.

London's subway silences "Voice of the Tube"

In case you missed it Tuesday, the folks who run London's Underground have fired the woman behind the taped announcements for criticizing service.

It seems that Emma Clarke had mentioned on her Web site that she stopped using the Tube because of the "dreadful" service. Of course, her site was overloaded with traffic so you may not be able to hear that or some of her other spoof announcements:

"We would like to remind our American tourist friends that you are almost certainly talking too loudly."

Another news report: "In another [spoof announcement] she announces that the passenger pretending to read a paper but actually staring at a woman's chest should stop, since he was 'not fooling anyone, you filthy pervert'."

We could use some of that lighthearted stuff at the CTA, but Lee Crooks, the guy who voices the CTA announcements, lives in Milwaukee, so he probably doesn't know too much about dreadful service or leering eyes. He probably wants to keep the job too.

It's nice to see that the London Underground folks -- even though they fired Clarke -- still have a sense of humor about it:

London Underground spokesman:  "London Underground is sorry to have to announce that further contracts for Ms. Clarke are experiencing severe delays."

House transit funding vote today? Check the Yahoo CTA news feed to the right later today to see whether the House votes on and passes the funding plan to divert some of the gas sales tax to the transit agencies.

Gasoline sales tax diversion gets key endorsement

State Majority Leader Mike Madigan on Monday threw in the towel on a transit sales hike and threw his support behind a Republican plan to divert state sales tax revenue on gasoline to the CTA, Metra and Pace.

Funny thing though -- Madigan made no mention of passing a state capital spending plan -- something Republicans no doubt will demand before voting to OK a transit bailout plan.

Another BIG question mark is how the state will fill the budget hole left by the diversion of gas tax funds. This seems like just another short-term bailout indeed.

Advance work begins on Grand Red Line station rehab: CDOT announced Monday that utility work will begin Thursday at the Grand and State Red Line subway station. There may be some entrances closed periodically, so be on the lookout for that.

Montrose station reopens: And a newly rebuilt Montrose Brown Line station reopened Monday. I'm sure the station looks great (I haven't actually seen it yet), but to me, this is the coolest thing about the project:

"Montrose station also features original artwork reflecting the street names within the community. The work is affixed inside the stationhouse and was created by artist Jason Pickleman. To foster a sense of ownership and identity within each station and the surrounding community, the CTA has partnered with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs to install public art at all 18 stations included in the Brown Line capacity expansion project. Public art for each station in the project is a requirement of the Full Funding Grant Agreement and is part of the overall project budget."

General sales tax vs. gasoline sales tax

When the state Legislature meets Wednesday, many Republican legislators will be advocating for HB 4161 over SB 572. The former would use gas sales taxes to support public transit, and the latter would raise the general sales tax.

It figures to be an interesting battle to see which bill passes.

Of course Rep. Julie Hamos, the sponsor of SB 572, has her reasons why it's the best solution to the funding crisis. But so does the non-partisan Civic Federation.

Rep. Sandy Cole of Grayslake, a co-sponsor of HB 4161, also articulates some good reasons for backing her bill. A big difference in the two is that the Republican version calls for a yet-to-be-determined fare increase.

Cole makes this spurious argument in favor of a fare increase:

""Between 2001 and 2006, the price of gasoline has increased 68 percent, but CTA cash fares have only increased 15 percent. It is fair to expect riders to pay for increased fares, just like motorists have to pay more for gasoline."

Carfree Chicago has a good retort to that argument in comments on a post about the subject at Illinois Transportation Issues:

"Why should transit riders be punished for using an efficient form of transportation not affected as much by the shifts in the price of gasoline? Trains don't run on gasoline. It justs sounds like pure whining -- we have to pay more so you should too!"

I'd like the Republicans to fully show their cards on what that fare increase should look like.

Why I am thankful this year

Thanksgiving Day Eve makes me ponder why I am a thankful CTA rider. Here's why:

Slow zone heroics: Who would have thunk it? A simple shifting of priorities and the awful Blue Zone subway slow zone finally disappears, soon to be followed by the Red Line subway zone. And speaking of the man who made that happen. . . .

Ron Huberman: The new CTA president has brought business acumen and analytical management tools to run the transit agency more like a business. He uses these tools to hold management accountable for their workers and work processes.

Clean floors and seats: What a difference it makes to board a clean train or bus, after the CTA instituted new cleaning processes.

Strangely, Gov. Blagojevich: After all, he's been great blog fodder for snarky posts, despite that pesky funding issue.

On-time Brown Line rehab: Many kudos go to the CTA and its contractors for delivering nicely rehabbed Brown Line stations on time. For instance, a year ago the CTA shut down the Montrose and Addison stations for rehab, promising they would be back in a year. And by damn, they are! That's an accomplishment in these days of construction delays.

A not-so-hellish three-track hell: Early this year, I was bemoaning  the hellish commutes that would ensue as a result of the CTA's three-track project due to the rebuilding of the Belmont and Fullerton stations. I'm happy to report that for the the most, I was wrong. Sure, commutes are a bit longer, but really, it hasn't been all that bad.

Savechicagotransit.com: The folks behind this Web site have quietly and modestly harnessed the political power of thousands upon thousands of transit users to tell the powers that be what we think of their lack of legislative leadership and action. They've done it by channeling our collective voices through emails, letters and rallies. Keep it up. Though I hope you go out of business real soon. And I think you guys wouldn't mind that.

CTA employees: To all the bus drivers and motormen, customer assistant agents and janitors, planners, track workers, communications specialists, and everyone else I missed: Thank you.

You, kind readers: Knowing that you're there and reading this blog helps keep me going. Thanks for your tips and comments -- and even for occasionally clicking on the Google ads. Keep reading and keep riding.

Oh, and this is not an all-inclusive list. Feel free to add your own thanks. But please, let's avoid the snark today. Thank you.

And Happy Thanksgiving! 

No grinching the holiday train; Blago orders legislature to convene

Yes, much to the chagrin of some Tattler readers, there IS a CTA Holiday Train this year. Some of you folks have wondered how the CTA could keep the tradition going this year as it struggles for funding.  So I asked a CTA spokeswoman about that:

"The Holiday Train runs in regular revenue service so  there is no additional cost  to operate it," Noelle Gaffney said in an email exchange. "On some of the trips the train has stops where we deliver food baskets to community organizations-- but the food baskets are paid for by donations from CTA employees.  A CTA employee serves as Santa - on his own time.  There are some minimal costs for the lights and decorations (some are reused from prior years). And although there are some costs, the train generates a significant amount of goodwill."

And in 2004, the CTA jeopardized that goodwill when then President Frank Kruesi derailed the Holiday Train during that year's funding crisis. There was an immediate backlash, and Board Chairwoman Carole Brown overruled him and brought it back.

And lots of folks love the train, such as Chicana on the Edge. And check out this Flickr photo set of tagged photos.

Here's the schedule. On the day after Thanksgiving, the Holiday Train travels around the Loop El tracks from 4 to 5:15 pm. Check it out. Seriously, it's fun. 

Governor calls special CTA session: Gov. Blagojevich has written state legislators to call them to a special session Wednesday, Nov. 28, to "get something done before we face another Doomsday scenario," reports the Tribune.

Hey, good luck with that.

Better maintenance management puts more buses on the streets

Lost amid six press releases issued when the CTA announced Jan. 20 as its newest Doomsday was news detailing CTA "management efficiencies that have resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of buses put into service each day."

According to the press release:

"By developing a system to catch up on preventative maintenance, over the past three months the CTA has been able to reduce by 89 percent the average number of daily runs canceled due to defective equipment. By training managers on absenteeism and demanding more accountability, the number of daily runs canceled due to manpower shortages decreased by 34 percent in the same time period."

The CTA also noted it has been working with the Civic Consulting Alliance to leverage more than $2 million worth of pro-bono consulting services since May. Those consultants include Booz Allen Hamilton, who helped CTA President Ron Huberman launch his "Performance Management" initiative. Using performance metrics, Huberman holds his managers responsible for such things as cleanliness, safety, courtesy, etc.

Now, that's smart management. Here are some other results of the Civic Consulting Alliance partnership, in the continuation:

How refreshing! Opposites on the same page

It's highly unusual for management and labor unions to both be on the same page.

But not when it comes to solving the transit funding crisis.

At one press conference Thursday, we had transit union officials threatening some sort of "job action" if there was no funding agreement before the end of the year: "We've done our part -- done what Springfield told us to do," said Dennis Gannon, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, referring to the pension and retiree health care reforms. "We don't have an agreement after Dec. 31," Gannon said. "After the first of the year, everything is up for grabs."

And then later in the day, RTA Chairman Jim Reilly was pounding the podium with the same message: "Responsible people have to act now . . . before the end of the year."

Strange bedfellows. But certainly no stranger than seeing Republicans and Democratic leaders get on the same page.  Hell, I'd like to see all the Democrats get on the same page.

What do you think about a one-day "job action"? Aside from the fact, of course, that a strike would be illegal.

The Tilt-a-Whirl ride toward sustained CTA funding

Remember the great carnival ride called the Tilt-a-Whirl?

This Wikipedia definition references the chaos theory, and quotes the ride's inventor: "A further object [of the ride] is to provide amusement apparatus wherein the riders will be moved in general through an orbit and will unexpectedly swing, snap from side to side or rotate without in any way being able to figure what movement may next take place in the car." (Emphasis mine.)

Yep, that just about sums up yesterday's transit summit, which actually included Mayor Tax-a-Lot.

From the Crain's report:

Mayor Daley left the summit first, saying he was "very optimistic."

Not long after, "House Speaker Michael Madigan exited and announced that he was leaving what had become a “non-productive” meeting filled with “a lot of non-productive shouting and threats.”

Then it's Sen. President Emil Jones' turn to spin: "I think we could wrap this up in a day or two. . . . The issues that are separating us are minute.” 

And guess what? Blago says they are all invited back today for another spin on the Tilt-a-Whirl.

Except, I'm about to throw up.

(Photo from Wikipedia.)

Special thanks to the Illinois state treasurer

A special thank you to Alexi Giannoulias for FINALLY taking down the HUGE banner on the side of the house on the southeast side of the Red Line Belmont platform at the far south end.

He's the Illinois state treasurer. And the huge sign with his name on it hung on the side of that house for more than a year. He was elected a year ago in November. (The sign hung so long that the rest of the siding around it was obviously faded from the sun.)

It's curious timing that the sign comes down now -- just a few days after Doomsday I was avoided. Maybe he doesn't want CTA riders to think that he has anything to do with the ineffective governor and state legislative leaders.

And to be fair, he doesn't.

Also, maybe he thinks he's getting enough publicity now that he's been named by Crain's to be  one the "40 Under 40" to watch.

Slow zone post update; Brown Line progress report

Some reader commenting on Monday's post about new 2008 Red Line slow zone work wondered when the CTA would finish the stretch between Sheridan and Wilson.

And, in fact, CTA President Ron Huberman called me last night because he said he read those comments. Huberman said he has regular CTA workers focusing on that stretch right now, and they should be done with the southbound portion by the end of the year. "I ride that stretch of the Red Line every day, so I am painfully aware of how slow it is," Huberman told me.

By "regular CTA workers," I mean these crews are not paid through funds from the FTA and RTA. Huberman earlier this year reallocated CTA resources to focus on slow zone work.

Sedgwick repairs done; Montrose and Addison to reopen. Months of construction at the Brown Line's Sedgwick station ended Monday with two new elevators and a longer platform as the results. Unlike other Brown Line stations, Sedgwick stayed open, although the entrance was moved to Hudson.

And within the next three weeks, the Montrose (Nov. 26) and Addison (Dec. 3) stations will reopen after yearlong shutdowns for reconstruction. They were closed Dec. 2, 2006. I have to give the CTA credit. They've stuck religiously to their announced schedule.

Next up for closures are the Damen and Irving Park stations.   

New slow zone work planned for Red Line in 2008

As the CTA works to finish its Red Line slow zone elimination project from Grand to Clark/Division, last week the board authorized a new project from Clark/Division to just north of North/Clybourn, plus a mile of track from Roosevelt to Lake.

This new 26.6 million project will replace deteriorating wooden rail ties with concrete ties. Funds for this work come from the Federal Transit Administration and the RTA. This cash is not available for operations.

The current slow zone work should be complete by mid-December. But one motorman always tells us the completion date is Dec. 2, at which time trains will run at 65 mph on straightaways and 25 mph on curves in the area. A CTA spokesperson could not confirm those speeds for me.

Meanwhile, on the O'Hare branch of the Blue Line, slow zone work between Jefferson Park and Harlem should be finished by the end of the year. The CTA in September completed work in the Blue Line tunnel in September.

Doomsday 2008 budget details from the CTA

Here's the CTA's story on their proposed 2008 budget, in their own words from the press release. Call it biased perhaps, but it is reality:

The proposed 2008 operating budget is $1.034 billion, which is $45 million lower than 2007. The CTA expects to generate $562 million in fares and other revenue and anticipates $472 million in public funding. In order to maintain service and fares at current levels, the CTA needs an additional $158 million in public funding for 2008. This is due to shortfalls in three areas:

• The CTA’s funding agency, the Regional Transportation Authority, reduced the CTA’s funding level by $14 million compared to the mark they provided in last year’s financial plan.
• The CTA’s public funding is growing at a much slower rate than related expenses. Public funding levels only increased by four percent over the past five years and trailed inflation, which increased by 11.3 percent in the same time period. By comparison, CTA has also experienced substantial cost increases in fuel, materials (due to a lack of capital funds) and security.
• Pension and health care reforms proposed by the CTA have not been approved by the General Assembly. Not having these reforms in place yet is estimated to cost the CTA more than $11 million each month. Without them, the CTA will incur increasingly higher costs for providing these benefits and the historic union agreement previously reached will expire.

. . . The CTA has grappled with a steep decline in inflation-adjusted funding levels. The CTA’s public funding for mainline bus and rail operations trailed inflation by approximately one percent every year. If funding since 1987 had kept even with inflation, the CTA would have received cumulatively $1.6 billion more to operate its buses and trains.

Help a student with school project

Amy left this comment earlier today. As a journalism school grad myself, I thought I would help her out by posting her comment more prominently:

Hello All. I have been researching this blog for a school project regarding the media and would greatly appreciate help from the readers of CTATattler. If you are available to answer a few questions please email me at newsproject07@gmail.com. (Typo fixed in email address.) Thank you for your help!!

-- Amy

Jan. 20 is the newest Doomsday

The CTA board Wednesday deemed Jan. 20 as the new day of Doom. Without additional state funding:

• 81 of 154 bus routes (pdf) will be eliminated.
• 2,400 employees will laid off.
• Three of the eight bus garages will be closed.

A new tiered fare system (pdf) will go into effect:

• $2.25 will be the lowest fare for a non-peak bus and rail ride for Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus customers.
• Rush hour fares for those card holders would be $2.25 for buses and $2.50 for the train.
• Cash fares would cost between $2.75 (bus and rail at non-peak times) and $3.25 for train fares at peak times.

Check back Friday for more on this. Unfortunately.

Terms of endearment

I'm sick of this Doomsday CRAP! We need some LOVE!

Overheard on a very quiet Red Line train stopped in the subway slow zone area waiting for signal clearance:

"Mommy -- I love you!" screamed the 4-year-old girl, to the delight of all passengers on the crowded train car.

Rallying to the cause despite "Doomsday fatigue"

Almost 200 concerned CTA riders braved an early November chill and a mighty wind to "save transit now!" --  and so went the chant from that crowd.

Brian Imus, director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, sounded the day's theme and one echoed here: "We must hold our politicians accountable for the mess they've gotten us into."

Another speaker reminded us that this is not just a Chicago problem.  "Make sure your friends who ride the Metra know that they are in this same boat too," said Rich Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association. He warned of coming Metra fare hikes and slow zones.

Among the ordinary riders at the rally, one woman told me she's suffering from a bad case of "Doomsday fatigue -- it just seems like it been Doomsday scenarios  for months and months, and it just makes me tired," she sighed.

No doubt it's that same fatigue that kept turnout down. I can't help but think if Doomsday actually HAD arrived Monday, there would have been many hundreds more at the rally. Save Chicagoland Transit was a rally co-sponsor. Go there to write more letters to the state pols.

Guv calls for meeting of the minds. Blago invited the four legislative leaders to a meeting this morning, saying it's time to "seize the moment," reports the Tribune. Perhaps Rod is actually trying to follow through on a promise -- that is, to resolve the funding issue in 7 to 10 days. I'll believe it when I see it.

Huberman fears the "crying wolf" syndrome; transit rally Monday

CTA President Ron Huberman tells the Tribune he's concerned about losing credibility with riders for "crying wolf" twice now, only to pull back after Blago bail-outs.

"My worst fear about the Band-Aid funding is that people will not believe we continue to be in a bad fiscal position that forces us to cut service and raise fares," Huberman told the Trib.

I think that's a very real fear, and it's a big reason why many readers and I have encouraged the CTA to "just say no" to last second bailouts. Though I blame the governor for this mess, not Huberman.

And now our fabulous governor says a long-term solution will be hammered out within 7 to 10 days. But still, Huberman rightly proclaims that his staff will crunch the numbers this week and tell us before Thanksgiving what the next round of cuts will look like in January without that solution.

As always, stay tuned.

Transit rally Monday: Don't forget about the mass transit rally today at noon in the Thompson Center Plaza at Randolph and Clark.

The Feds bail out CTA, take heat off state -- for now

OK, this was one scenario I didn't predict:

FEDERAL funds to be used as a stopgap measure to avoid service cuts and fare increase.

Doomsday imminent as state "leaders" scramble

Usually on Fridays, I post info and links about weekend CTA work. There's still plenty of that here, so be an informed rider before heading out.

But of course the big story this weekend is whether Doomsday I officially dawns on Sunday. Oh, and isn't it ironic that we get an extra hour to "enjoy" the first day of bus service cuts and fare increases (pdf) with the change to Daylight Saving Time?

Bottom line: We still don't for sure if Doomsday dawns Sunday, but it doesn't look good.

Below are some recaps and links to coverage.

Blagojevich floats new temporary fix (Sun-Times): Another short-term bailout plan to be released today. Favorite quote: Blago urged the the CTA and RTA "not to turn away the help we'll offer by trying to use the riders ... as pawns."

Funding for transit eyed warily (Tribune): Neither the CTA nor RTA leaders had seen the latest bailout plan, so they didn't feel very comfortable accepting a deal they hadn't seen. Quote: "We can't say 'no' to something we haven't seen," RTA Chairman Jim Reilly said. "But the RTA board very reluctantly accepted" the governor's last short-term cash infusion." And . . . state transit committee "members were dumbfounded that transit officials had not been given any details of the governor's plan. 'We have to operate on the facts of today,' Huberman said. 'And the facts of today are we have no dollars.' "

Doomsday could spur huge City College dropout rate: The Redeye's Kyra Kyles reports (no link) that more than one-third of the 41,000 City Colleges of Chicago students who use the CTA will be forced to dropout if the cuts go into place. 

And these:

• Transit leaders' optimism wanes -- Crain's Chicago Business
• Governor's statement on mass transit funding -- via Illinois Transportation Issues
• Gas Tax vs. Sales Tax: Which Wins -- more good analysis from Illinois Transportation Issues

See you on packed trains and what's left of the buses Monday.

And here's hoping I'm wrong about that.

Check back here this weekend for updates as they become available.

Stop the madness!

This is pathetic. The whole notion that the city, suburbs and state can survive without adequate public transportation is moronic.

So it's quite vexing when I read this nonsense from the director of Illinois leading conservative action committee:

“Why should the heavily taxed suburban commuter now be asked to pay for the mismanagement of the Chicago Transit Authority? Let Chicago pay their own way for a change. The state has done nothing to demand that the CTA put its fiscal house in order and now is the time to make that demand, rather than making suburban families the fiscal scapegoats.” (Business Wire)

Last time I looked, there was money in SB 572 for both Metra and Pace -- transit agencies that serve primarily the suburbs. And when those suburban riders get off the trains at Ogilvie and Union Station, many of them hop on CTA buses to get to their CHICAGO jobs and CHICAGO shops, such as American Girl.

Last time I looked, the Skokie Swift, the Purple Line, the Blue Line and numerous CTA bus lines operate in the SUBURBS, to bring SUBURBANITES to Chicago to make a living and enjoy city life.

Last time I looked, SB 572 contained many CTA and RTA reforms to hold both more accountable.

Last time I looked, SB 572 contained "Funding for new $20 million Suburban Commuter Mobility Fund – flexible services provided by Pace."

Chicago is the tail that wags the dog. Without it, there would be no suburbs.

Rumors of CTA funding deal

Check out this CBS2 news report: CTA Deal Rumored To Be On Horizon.

From the report:

"With just four days until the Chicago Transit Authority's "doomsday," the governor and state legislators are getting ready Wednesday night to return to Springfield. There are hopes that a leaders' meeting Thursday will lead to a Friday vote for new money for mass transit.

"I think it's a good bill and it will pass," House Speaker Michael Madigan said Monday.

"Madigan last spoke publicly on Monday while proposing an increase in gaming, a casino in Chicago and a new boat downstate. Tax revenue from that would go for road construction, satisfying downstate lawmakers balking at the CTA bailout.

"I expect that bill will pass on Friday if not linked to anything but the merits of the bill," Madigan said.

"But the promise of new casino money could persuade Republicans to back it. And there are indications Wednesday night that they are so close, that Gov. Rod Blagojevich, before leaving Thursday for Springfield, is leaning toward asking the CTA not to start implementing its contingency plan, even though it's not the solution he envisioned last month."

Hold on to your transit seats, we're in for a wild ride as we head to Doomsday Sunday.

Assault and baggery

Four more days till Doomsday I, including today. And this is the day the Illinois House is scheduled to meet and consider SB 572 -- the quarter of a percent sales tax increase. That's 25 cents on $100. Check back here later today for the Yahoo news feed on the status of that vote.

In the meantime, here's a Tattler tale -- just like I used to write about before it was all Doomsday, all the time.

A guy in his late 30s boards the Red Line at Grand. On his back he wields a lethal weapon -- a backpack that juts out from his body two feet that must contain 50-pound sandbags.

He assaults two people with it as he boards the car -- including a professorial-looking guy with a University of Chicago lanyard who is himself wielding a nasty-looking cane with a nifty brass handle. The guy is fuming as he gets hit, banging his cane three times on the floor and muttering vengeful thoughts.

Fortunately, backpack man moves down the aisle and avoids a confrontation. But of course he hits two more people who are trying to exit.

A seat opens on the aisle and backpack man settles into it. But of course he flings the pack into his seatmate's personal space, narrowly missing her left foot as she desperately yanks it out of the way.

To all backpack-wearers, we've been through this before -- please be more cognizant of your surroundings and treat fellow riders politely.