Metra ridership dropped 95% after 'stay at home' order
To grapple with a ridership free fall and budget shortfall thanks to COVID-19, Metra must react quickly to discern passenger needs when people return to commuting, officials said Wednesday.
Typically, Metra ridership is 281,000 per weekday. After Gov. J.B. Pritkzer announced a stay-at-home rule that lasts through April 30 to reduce the spread of COVID-19, ridership dropped by 95%. Currently, the railroad is transporting about 3% of its normal passenger load.
“Ridership is down, tax revenues will fall, it'll be a rough several months as we run some very empty trains,” Chief Financial Officer Tom Farmer said to Metra directors who conducted their Wednesday board meeting via livestream.
“We will bring our riders back as best as we can, but we all have to remember commuter rail will not be the same after COVID-19,” Farmer noted.
The drop in paying customers, coupled with plummeting sales tax revenues that contribute to Metra's funding, is resulting in an estimated $331 million shortfall for 2020. Between 2020 and 2021, the agency expects a $535 million shortfall, officials said.
Some aid from the federal government will make up the difference but not all of it.
Planners projected passengers will make a slow return to commuting, taking advantage of low gas prices and limited traffic to drive to work. Some individuals will continue to work from home but others may move from Chicago to the suburbs, creating new riders.
The railroad needs to be nimble to respond to the public's new needs, Farmer said. “We have to get our arms around the new normal.”