Metra fares to rise in February to fix budget shortfall
On a week other transit agencies backed off fare hikes thanks to government aid, Metra officials raised one-way tickets and weekend passes Friday to help patch a budget hole.
Facing shortfalls, CTA and Pace received a temporary bailout from the state, which Metra supported although it gained nothing in operating funds. But the gesture could pay off down the road in coveted construction dollars, officials hope.
Effective Feb. 1, Metra weekend passes will go from $5 to $7 and one-way fares will rise by 6 percent, meaning increases ranging from a dime to 45 cents.
Board members also raised penalties for buying tickets on trains from $2 to $3. The original plan was to boost those fees to $5 but officials decided that would be too draconian.
The changes are part of the agency's effort to balance its $603 million budget following a $64 million shortfall in revenues from sales taxes, a major funding source for public transit.
Metra board Chairman Carole Doris stressed the status quo remains for the agency's most popular fares - 10-ride tickets and monthly passes. The weekend pass for unlimited rides on Saturday and Sunday hasn't gone up since 1992, she said.
"There are not any general fare increases, given that our customers are finding times hard," Doris said. The increases "are reasonable given that 80 percent of our customers take advantage of the discount monthly and 10-ride passes," she added.
The fare hikes could generate about $6 million. Metra also will freeze management salaries, keep vacant jobs open, increase employee health insurance contributions and hold back on some service improvements to balance the budget.
The sales tax woes also hit the Chicago Transit Authority and Pace. This week, the CTA was poised to raise bus and train fares from $2.25 to $2.50 and $3, respectively, and Pace was planning to vote on increasing rates for its paratransit service for the disabled from $3 to $3.50 in the suburbs and up to $5 in Chicago.
Both agencies agreed to freeze fares for two years after a controversial deal brokered by Gov. Pat Quinn Wednesday.
Despite Illinois' financial woes, the governor pledged $17 million in funding for Pace paratransit in 2010 and 2011 and to pay interest for two years on $177 million to be borrowed by the Regional Transportation Authority. The RTA loan will be funneled to the CTA for capital projects, allowing the agency to shift federal construction dollars into operating costs such as salaries and maintenance.
Metra was a co-signer of the agreement but "we didn't get one, thin dime," noted board Director Jack Schaffer.
The agency's cooperation won't be forgotten when it comes to securing state funding for capital projects, Executive Director Phil Pagano said. State leaders assured Metra that "they will work with us to recognize our needs," he said.
Metra's capital budget is about $378 million. Pagano said the agency was cutting back on purchases of new diesel engines and buying used ones that can be rehabbed so it can put more money into station improvements.
"We felt it was appropriate to make the adjustment and put the investment in our stations, some of which are in a state of disrepair and from a safety perspective need to be addressed," he said.
Locations set for makeovers include Naperville, which will get new platforms, and Fox River Grove, which will get a station rehab. Metra is also contributing to new parking decks in Geneva and Elmhurst.
Metra's fare increases
As of Feb. 1, prices will go up as follows:
• One-way fares up by about 6 percent. That means:
- An $8.05 fare will increase to $8.50
- A $6.60 fare will go to $7
- A $5.15 fare will go to $5.50
- A $3.80 fare will go to $4
• Weekend passes increase from $5 to $7.
• If you buy a ticket on the train instead of the station, the extra fee will rise from $2 to $3.