Transit agencies push for capital bucks

Peeling paint, shelters with holes in the ceiling, rusty equipment, 113-year-old stations - Regional Transit Authority leaders put their worst foot forward during a tour organized for Illinois lawmakers Friday morning.

Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority officials say their agencies need about $10 billion in capital funding to replace old cars, buses, locomotives, stations and rail infrastructure - and to expand and improve service in the future.

To prove their case, RTA administrators gave eight legislators a look at CTA and Metra stations in Chicago and Cicero in disrepair plus a viewing of Pace buses well past their prime.

As it turns out, RTA leaders were preaching to the choir. Lawmakers from the city and suburbs agreed a capital program that helps public transit is long overdue.

"Transit demand is growing and suburban need is at an all-time high," said Republican state Rep. Sid Mathias of Buffalo Grove, a member of the Mass Transit Committee. "This is no longer a city versus suburban issue."

When gas prices rose to more than $4 a gallon, "I saw a lot of my neighbors and friends rediscovering the importance of mass transit," Republican state Rep. Michael Fortner of West Chicago said. "What we saw was how important mass transit was as part of the overall transportation system."

The pitch was timed as the General Assembly prepares for a battle over operating and capital budgets.

But how public transit will make out is uncertain given that the tough economy makes any type of tax increase unpopular.

The CTA, Metra and Pace also got a significant influx of cash in 2008 when the legislature approved a sales tax increase to pay for deficits in operating cash - avoiding a much-publicized doomsday of service cuts, fare increases and layoffs. However, all three agencies still raised fares in the past year. Officials say the anticipated boost from the new tax is offset by lackluster sales numbers.

Sen. Martin Sandoval, who heads up the Senate Transportation Committee, indicated he was gearing up for a fight to give transit equal funding with road maintenance and construction. "Our system is stressed and tired," the Chicago Democrat said. "We need to pass a robust capital plan."

Legislators also warned that if the state shirks on capital funding it would mean no federal dollars for big initiatives such as the STAR line, a new commuter rail system that aims to link destinations from Joliet to Hoffman Estates to O'Hare International Airport.