Metra eyes fare hikes to cover $64 million shortfall

Higher fares could be on board at Metra, as the agency tries to fill a $64 million budget shortfall.

Monthly and 10-ride pass users get a reprieve but higher fares could be on board for other Metra riders, as the agency tries to fill a budget hole.

Shortfalls in revenues from sales taxes have hit the commuter rail agency hard, officials said at a meeting Friday. The estimated shortfall is about $64 million. Metra directors also gave details of the $613 million operating budget for 2010, $38 million more than the $575 million 2009 fiscal plan.

Increases to one-way fares, weekend tickets and penalties for purchasing tickets on trains, rather than in the station, are expected to help cover the gap.

Metra administrators propose:

• Raising one-way fares by 6 percent, meaning that a $4.30 fare from Naperville to Chicago, for example, would rise to $4.50. The last time Metra raised fees was in February 2008.

• The weekend pass for unlimited rides Saturdays and Sundays would go from $5 to $7, the first increase since the pass started in 1991.

• Penalties for people buying tickets on trains when they can be purchased at stations will increase from $2 to $5. The fee should not affect riders boarding from stations without ticket agents.

"We believe it is a modest increase to address the infrequent rider and encourage them to look at discounts with the 10-ride or monthly pass," said Metra Chairwoman Carole Doris, who represents DuPage County.

The proposed changes would not affect monthly passes or 10-ride tickets, which are used by the majority of Metra riders.

Metra board directors will not vote on the proposed changes until after public hearings are held in November.

Director Jim LaBelle, who represents Lake County, opposed the $5 fine for buying tickets on the train.

"Increasing the penalty from $2 to $5 is somewhat onerous. I think we need to be more welcoming than that. I'm comfortable with a smaller number," he said.

Other directors, however, supported the increase but noted that it should be well-publicized so people aren't caught off-guard.

"You don't want to be making an announcement four minutes before the train leaves," Director Jack Schaffer of McHenry County said. "You'll see a guy hopping off the train and then there's a line at the station. That's where you need defibrillators."

The fare hikes could bring in about $6.8 million. The agency also plans $4 million of reductions in administration costs with salary freezes, leaving 150 jobs open as people leave, and requiring staff to pay more for health insurance. Other savings will come from scaling back plans to increase service, Metra Executive Director Phil Pagano said.

Metra's capital budget is $366.7 million in 2010 compared to $203 million in 2009, a reflection of money coming in from the federal economic stimulus package and the state's capital programs.

Ambitious plans such as the STAR line, linking suburbs in Will, DuPage, and Cook counties, aren't getting a lot of attention in next year's budget.

Instead, a significant portion of revenues will fix train cars and maintaining railway tracks and structures. Station improvements will include Naperville, Geneva, and Fox River Grove.

This week, Pace and the CTA also announced budget shortfalls leading to speculation the General Assembly could revise the senior free rides program so only low-income people can participate. Free rides have cost Metra about $14 million, it's estimated.

Director Arlene Mulder of Arlington Heights said although some people might have been skeptical of free rides at first, there's resistance to taking it away. With the senior population growing and people living longer, the program "puts a burden on our younger generation," she said.

<p class="factboxheadblack">Upward bound</p> <p class="News">Here's a look at Metra's proposed fare increases.</p> <p class="News">• One way fares go up by about 6 percent. For example, an $8.05 fare would be $8.50, A $6.60 fare would be $7, a $5.15 fare would be $5.50 and a $3.80 fare would be $4.</p> <p class="News">• Weekend passes increase from $5 to $7.</p> <p class="News">• If you buy a ticket on the train instead of the station, the fee would rise from $2 to $5.</p>