Transit backers seeking money

Transit supporters called on the governor Tuesday to cover the basic needs for new buses and trains in his massive $25 billion infrastructure improvement proposal.

"We need to start coming up with a transportation funding plan that addresses the problems of the 21st century. The governor's plan does not do that," said Brian Imus, director of Illinois' Public Interest Research Group, after a Chicago news conference with other supporters.

To underscore his argument for transit expansion, Imus released a report that says transit in the Chicago region saves residents $723 million dollars a year in gas.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich may be willing to consider expanding his proposal to fund more transit projects, said spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff. But funding remains the key roadblock.

"We'd be happy to work with lawmakers on expanding the plan and hearing their ideas on how to fund it," she said.

Imus and other transit boosters are not endorsing a particular way to fund transit expansion -- a sticking point that has kept the entire proposal from passing for years.

Blagojevich wants to sell the state's lottery system to a private company to reap the needed cash, but lawmakers have balked at the idea before. The governor has ruled out a proposed income tax hike.

Meanwhile, previous plans to add more casinos to the Chicago area appear to have little new traction. Those wanting more transit dollars in the package say it is not up to them to pick a way to get the money.

"There are benefits to investing in transit, and lawmakers need to come up with the funding," Imus said.

Blagojevich has set up a lobbying team that includes former Republican U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and former U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard to help sell his "Illinois Works" proposal to the public and lawmakers.

The current proposal calls for about $15 billion in new roads and nearly $3 billion in new transit, such as additional CTA el lines, new suburban bus facilities and Metra lines.

The allowance for transit falls way short of the $10 billion over five years that the Regional Transportation Authority -- which oversees Pace, Metra and the CTA -- says is needed just to maintain the current system.

The new money would be separate from the quarter-cent sales tax increase in the Chicago area approved last year. That $500 million largely goes to operating the buses and trains, not building new facilities.