CTA Tattler

How to reduce the CTA's budget deficit

I was not at all surprised to read that the CTA and other transit agencies are facing big budget gaps this year.

The Trib's Getting Around column reported Monday the CTA is looking at a $155 million shortfall for 2009, on top of.a $58 million deficit for 2008.

Nope -- it shouldn't come as a shock to anyone that the CTA would be any less vulnerable to falling tax revenues due to the current economic crisis.

So what to do about it?

First, realize there should not be a sustained downturn in those sales tax and home sales transfer taxes. Those revenue projections were adequate enough before the economy tanked. So recognize that they should come back and increase once the economy resuscitates.

So let's say that takes 18 months. Thus, solutions should not necessarily be long-term in nature. To me, that means avoiding permanent service cuts if at all possible.

So where to cut? These ideas are not new, and are commonly used by businesses and governments that find themselves in funding troubles. Some of you have already suggested them as well.

Certainly the largest expense for the CTA is wages. To that end:

• Impose an immediate hiring freeze.

• Eliminate all scheduled merit pay increases not mandated by union contract.

• If wage hikes are part a contract, try to renegotiate them in the short term. After all, if the CTA doesn't get enough wage cuts, then job layoffs forced by service cuts may be necessary. Call that the stick -- there is no carrot here.

• Force those making more than $100,000 a year to take a 5% temporary pay cut. Also require them to take five days off without pay.

• For workers making less than $100K, offer furloughs to them. Perhaps make three days off mandatory for those making between $60K and $100K.

• Any consultant fees budgeted for but not yet contracted for should certainly be postponed.

• The RTA reportedly has some stopgap funding it can kick in. Give that up.

Obviously, I don't have a dollar figure on how much these cuts would save. But they are a start.

Throw all the above into the abacus and see how far off we are. And I suspect we will still be short. Then, and only then, should service cuts be considered. But only as the last resort.

The CTA board meets Wednesday, Feb. 18. This is the first test of leadership for new Acting President Dorval Carter. It seems he's already looking to begin a reduction in force, judging by this item listed on the meeting agenda: "To approve an ordinance authorizing reductions in force to meet 2009 operating budget requirements."

Chicago Olympics bid book shines brighter light on once-sketchy transportation plans

In the official Chicago 2016 Olympics bid book released Friday, the city tries to put some meat on the bare-bones transportation plans submitted last year and judged third at that time behind Tokyo and Madrid.

Complaints at that time were distance from venues to rail stations and lack of detail on infrastructure spending. The bid book does shed some light, though it remains to be seen whether it's bright enough to light the Olympic flame here in 2016.

There certainly are no huge transit projects planned, such as monorails or construction of light rail to venues. But I'm not sure they are needed. Remember folks, the Olympics last for just 17 days. Add a week on either side for tourist spillover, and we're still talking about a month. If we win the games, businesses will have to tolerate more telecommuting and more vacations to keep regular commuters off the system. But I do think it's doable.

Here are some of the promises:

The CTA "aims to make all train stations accessible to people with disabilities by 2016." That's a lot of work and a lot money to spend in seven short years. Currently about 90 of 144 rail stations are accessible. Note the use of fudge verb "aims" -- it's not a firm promise.

Buses and shuttles -- referred to as the "Olympic transit overlay" -- will "bridge the gap between public-transport stations and competition and noncompetition venues." The book states most transit stations are less than 2 km away from competition venues, or 1.24 miles.

Infrastructure improvements. The bid book notes four CTA-specific improvements:

• The Brown Line expansion project, set for completion this year, for $530 million.
• Electrical, signals and communication improvements, completed by 2013 for $207 million.
• Track and structure improvements, finished by 2013 for $719 million.
• Bus and rail terminal facility improvements, cutting is a little close with a 2015 completion date, for $109 million.

Also promised is a big investment in new buses. "Over the next eight years, Chicago will spend $3.55 billion to modernize its existing fleet and rolling stock." And the Olympic Committees also "will have access to the Federal Borrowed Bus Program, which will be used to augment Chicago’s rolling stock during the Games."

Parking will not be provided at competitions venues, but use of park and ride lots will be encouraged.

What others are saying:

• Tribune: "transit plan could go the distance."
• Sun-Times coverage.

News roundup: Stimulus bill, pickpocket ring, big Bus Tracker expansion

Friday roundup of transit news:

Stimulus bill: Until both houses of Congress approve the stimulus bill, it's hard to say definitively what the final provisions are for mass transit -- or anything else, for that matter. But Talking Points Memo reports that "Mass Transit Gets More Transit Love."

But as far as I can tell from the "confidential" memo that TPM got hold of, "Supplemental Grants for Public Transit Investment" remained at the $8.4 billion level of the Senate version. And "Grants to states for investments in high speed and intercity passenger rail" were removed from the conference version -- though the previous total was "just" $250 million. Stay tuned next week for final totals. (Hat tip to Cheryl.)

Pickpockets ring: In comments yesterday, Paul gave us a detailed account of his eyewitness view of a pickpocket ring at work on the Red Line. Read it, and be careful out there. Also, be sure to call the cops with detailed descriptions if you see any crimes on the CTA.

Big Bus Tracker expansion. The CTA will add 24 routes to Bus Tracker on March 2 -- the most routes added at one time. Check details here. Many South Side routes are included. Almost 75% of CTA bus routes will be on Bus Tracker in March. Nice going.

Polk Station entrance open: I originally reported exclusively that the CTA was rehabbing the south Polk Street entrance of the Harrison Red Line stop to serve the population growth in the South Loop. Well, after about a month delay, the Polk entrance is open. As KevinB would say, enjoy and share.

Weekend service changes. Check here for weekend changes at Sedgwick, Sheridan, Howard, the Red Line subway tunnel, and some bus changes. 

Have a good weekend. Maybe some of you get Monday off. More power to you. And fewer CTA crowds for those of us who have to work. And Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Overheard: The incredible self-eating stomach, aka, watch out for what your cousin had

As I write this Wednesday night, details are scarce on exact provisions of the alleged compromise agreement struck between the House and Senate on the economic stimulus package. I say "alleged" because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hadn't yet endorsed the deal.

I will bring you details on the mass transit portion of the final agreement when I can get them.

In the meantime, here's a throwback to the days of yore for CTA Tattler: a gut-wrenching tale overheard between two young lads -- perhaps a tad misinformed -- on the Brown Line as it pulls into Belmont:

". . . You know, people who jump out of three-story buildings die before they hit the ground. I dunno, they suffocate or something. The pressure in their stomachs. So, what's the stupidest organ in your body? Your stomach. Because if you don't eat, it eats itself. It just digests itself. It's a feeling like being melted. Or on fire. My cousin had it. . . ."

Hat tip to Nina for this.

Next for stimulus bill: House, Senate hammer out a compromise

The Senate Tuesday passed its own version of the economic stimulus bill totaling $827 billion. You might think that the House version at $820 billion would be similar to the Senate version. You would be wrong.

Take, for instance, the mass transit and passenger rail portions of the bill. This analysis is from Natonal Corridors Initiative Inc. (Hat tip to Cheryl and DaveW.)

As National Corridor reports: "The bills are quite different: the Senate bill provides a lot of money for high-speed rail, whereas the House bill provides nothing at all. Meanwhile, while the House bill provides $4.5 billion for fixed guideway modernizaion and new starts funds, the Senate bill provides nothing for those programs, rather placing $5.5 billion in a discretionary fund that the Secretary of the Department of Transportation will have control over; money in that pot can theoretically be transferred to both transit and highway projects."

The House-Senate conference committee now gets to work to negotiate something both bodies can agree on.

Meanwhile, under heavy pressure from the media, Mayor Daley gave sketchy "details" Monday of the city's shovel-ready projects for the stimulus plan. Those projects include "repair or reconstruct 15 miles of public transit lines."

With Blago gone, state lawmakers eye gas-tax hike to fund capital needs

Disgraced and deposed ex-Gov. Blago always made it clear he didn't want to raise taxes to fund a capital works bill. He preferred other methods -- that failed -- such as a new casino.

Now with his departure, the Democrat leaders of the state Legislature have floated a trial balloon of hiking the state's gas tax to fund a capital projects.

As the Tribune reported last week, Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan said they "will support a proposal to raise the existing 19-cent-per-gallon motor fuel tax to 27 cents—a boost that could raise $500 million a year to fund bond payments on a $5.9 billion transportation repair plan."

I'm willing to consider such a tax hike -- and easy for me to say, since I don't drive much. But I'd also like to look at other options, such as an income tax hike of some sort. We should the revenue derived from various options and how that option would affect the people of Illinois.

So here a quickie poll for you folks to take. The state in general appears to be at least $6-9 billion in the hole for the next fiscal year.. Please participate in this online quick poll. I'll report the results next week.

Senate trims $3.6 billion in public transit projects from stimulus bill

What the House giveth, the Senate taketh away.

The Senate on Friday cut $3.6 billion in public transit money from Obama's economic stimulus bill. That was after the House at the last minute plugged $3 billion in transit funds to total $12 billion and sent it to the Senate.

At this writing, the Senate bill has just $8.4 billion for mass transit projects. An amendment late last week to increase that amount by $5 billion failed by just two votes.

Boston Globe columnist Derrick Jackson writes about how the Senate is pumping more money into the auto industry, yet denying more funds to mass transit -- despite big ridership gains nationwide and reports about how much those of us who rely solely public transportation save each year.

"The stimulus package should boldly be stimulating public transportation. Based on the American Automobile Association estimates of driving costs, the American Public Transportation Association calculates that Americans who rely on public transportation can save $8,368 a year.

". . . . Mass transit needs far more stimulus help to offset local budget cuts, but cannot get it because some say buses, trolleys, and trains are not "shovel-ready." America's automakers keep getting aid, even when a bailout is only a shovel to dig their own grave."

The fight for more transit funds is not over yet. But time is running out. The Senate is set to vote Tuesday on the bill.

Huffington Post has the Senate Committee of Appropriations press release summarizing the Senate version here. Click on the continuation for the description of the mass transit portion of the bill.

Related: Economic Stimulus Bill "Discriminates Against Density".

Details on weekend rail service changes

Here is the CTA's weekly email alert on weekend service changes. Sign up for e-alerts here.

On top is a summary of the weekend rail changes. Details are in the continuation. There are no bus service changes this weekend.

BLUE LINE

Feb 6 - 7
9pm Fri to 7am Sat
Boarding Change, Delays Between Grand and LaSalle

Feb 7 -8
9pm Sat  to 4am Sun
Boarding Change, Delays Between UIC-Halsted and LaSalle

RED LINE

Sat, Feb 7
7am to 2:30pm
Boarding Change at Sheridan

Feb 7 - 9
4am Sat to 4am Mon
Boarding Change at Howard

Feb 8 - 9
10pm Sun to 4am Mon
Boarding Change, Delays Between Grand and North/Clybourn

High CTA salaries; dump the free rides; CTA suicides

Here's another catch-all post with a roundup of news items I didn't get to this week. So much CTA news, so little time. And just for the record, I really only have time to do one post a day, since I have a day job that keeps me busy. So occasionally I will have to catch up like this.

The Sun-Times on Monday had an interesting story about how the CTA "Execs get big raises -- and deserve them, agency says."

It reports that most top managers got a 6% pay raise in 2008. But (and there's always a but) the story says then CTA Prez said: "You need to take into account that those bosses had to pay more in taxes and also had to start paying 6 percent into pension and health accounts, Huberman says. Then, he says, the amount of money paid to CTA management employees who stayed at the same job actually went down last year."

Hmmmm. . . . OK. So they really are making less because of the change in the pension. About 150 people make more than $100,000 a year. None makes no more than $200,000. To me, that's amazing for such a huge agency. If the CTA was privatized, you can bet there would more making over $200K and probably more making more than $100K. And I'm sure some of you may have other opinion about this.

BTW, check out the Sun-Times cool database of salaries for all CTA and city of Chicago, county and state  public employees. Find out what your neighbor or kid's teacher is making.

Dump the free rides for seniors? Now that Gov. Pat Quinn is in office, Tribune columnist Dennis Byrne suggests it's time to eliminate the free rides for seniors that Blago slammed through the Legislature in exchange for signing the CTA bailout bill a year ago. I agree with his point that we should dump them, but we need a means test for seniors and others, for that matter. Agreed?

Logan Square Blue Line riders worry about muggings. The Tribune Wednesday reports that citizens crowded a CAPS meeting over concerns about attacks near the Spaulding entrance of the Logan Square Blue Line stop. And well they should. But where was the outrage over Green Line attacks on the train?

CTA suicides fascinate us. You probably saw the story here in the Yahoo CTA news feed: McHenry woman struck by CTA train in apparent suicide. That sad story holds the "honor" of having the most "clickthroughs" from this blog. And I saw lots of Google searches about that suicide that led to my blog. Why are we so interested in CTA suicides?

Ridership up, service down: No, we're not talking about the CTA. It's New York's transit system (and others) that's under even more pressure than the CTA was a year ago. In NYC, they face a $1.2 billion deficit. We're just pikers with the $400 million deficit we faced last year before the Legislature passed the sales tax increase. (Thanks to Martha for the tip.)

How bad weather adversely affects your commute, and how CTA prepares for it

Last month was the 10th-coldest on record with an average temperature of 15.9 degrees. And today we woke up to below-zero wind chills.

Certainly the frigid temperatures adversely affect both bus and rail travel on the CTA. In one stretch of seven work days last month, the Red Line train I boarded at Morse had to run express to Wilson five of those days from either Loyola or Granville due to weather-related delays either on my train or one behind me.

Of course, I wasn't happy about being late nor about the crowded conditions those delays cause. But can I really blame the CTA? Certainly not for the cold. But do they do enough to prepare for the weather, to keep the fleet running to withstand the cold? So I asked them these questions. Below is the unedited response. And yes, it's definitely a response from the PR folks.

The CTA needs to continue to do aggressive preventive maintenance to keep all vehicles in tip-top shape in all weather. And we need to show a little more patience.

CTA's reply:

In response for your question on cold weather, we checked with the Operations staff.   Obviously, both buses and trains have mechanical components that can be impacted by severe cold. In addition, the rail system also has components that are subject to the elements such as tracks and switches.

Among the more common problems buses face during extreme cold are engines failing to start or difficulty maneuvering in traffic due to icy or extreme snowy conditions. On the rail side, switches not working properly due to icy buildup; or trains not able to reach speed due to build up of ice on the rails are some problems  that occur in extreme conditions.

CTA prepares for the winter and summer months well in advance in order to perform preventative maintenance to help combat potential problems.

CTA has an annual winter preparedness plans that includes checks of the bus and rail fleet to make sure they are ready to operate in winter conditions.  For example, sleet scrapers and snowplow blades are installed on rail car.  For buses, there are a series of steps to make sure buses are ready for winter, such as checking heaters, engine thermostats and batteries and making sure windows, roof hatches and doors close securely.

Rail

CTA's rail fleet is parked outside all year round – blowing and drifting snow, combined with sub-zero temperatures have the potential to affect the fleet in a number of ways. The same goes for the CTA bus fleet, approximately 30% of which is housed outdoors.

The most common equipment problems have to do with the build-up of snow and/or ice on the truck's undercarriage, or on various mechanical elements of the train such as the couplers.

Switch and rail heaters perform well given either heavy snow or extreme cold – but when the two are combined it is more challenging to keep it operating smoothly so rail maintenance staff is assigned to the switches and signals around the clock to keep equipment operating.

The sub-zero temperatures can cause the same mechanical problems as with other vehicles, especially affecting the oil in the door tracks and the motors.  The oil thickens and causes the doors to open and close more slowly.  This is especially true in the early morning when the train is coming out of the yard.  As the doors operate more, the oil loosens up and the doors will operate more quickly.

Bus

In cold and snowy conditions, equipment problems encountered by CTA buses can be similar to those of cars. After a heavy snowfall, buses that are stored outside are subject to the same challenges of moving from a snowed-in parking spot.

In extreme cold temperatures, starting up buses can be difficult. Diesel fuel properties are different than those of fuel that is used in cars. Typically, diesel fuel does not function as well in extreme cold conditions. To help keep CTA buses running during colder temperatures, buses are equipped with engine pre-heaters that allow motors to start up easily and bus interiors to warm up more quickly. Buses stored at outdoor facilities need not idle all  the time, due to the pre-heaters. Engines are started in the morning and are allowed to run up to 30 minutes in order to ensure proper operation.

The newly-arriving New Flyer articulated hybrids feature a plug-in feature that allows the batteries on the bus to remain charged when the bus is not in use. Power is drawn from the batteries to operate the auxiliary heater and circulate warm coolant through the engine block during overnight storage during cold weather. This eliminates the need to idle buses for startup.

(CTA photo)