There are trade-offs, but customer-focused changes may help Metra lure folks back to trains

Since last summer, Metra's leadership has been preparing commuters for significant changes in fare structures. On Friday, transit agency's board of directors put them in place, approving a plan that trades some popular discounts for a simplified system.

The changes will result in a modest revenue increase, but will have little impact on the looming crisis awaiting Metra, CTA and Pace when COVID-relief funding runs out in 2026. On that front, lawmakers are considering a raft of proposals developed by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning that, among other things, could result in a merger of the three transportation systems.

So, the changes coming for Metra's passengers are not motivated by fiscal concerns so much as customer interests. Metra, like other mass transportation systems, suffered steep user declines during the pandemic period and is still struggling to lure commuters back to the trains.

To that end, Executive Director Jim Derwinski called the new plan "the most monumental, forward-facing thing we've done at Metra in the last 40 years." That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the new system does offer much to appeal to riders.

The most foundational adjustment will be the reduction from a complex 10-zone rate structure to a simpler four-zone system. For many riders to and from the Ogilvie Transportation Center downtown, this will mean significant savings.

The trade-off will be the loss of a $100 monthly Super Saver pass, the reduction of the 10-ride pass to a Day Pack 5-Pack and the elimination of promotional $6 and $10 Day Passes.

These reductions are not insubstantial, but it's important to remember that many of them were implemented in response to COVID-19 losses. So, the new monthly cost for a ride between Lombard and Ogilvie will increase by $10 with the elimination of the Super Saver fare, but it's substantially less than the $181.25 fare before the pandemic.

And, as our Marni Pyke reported on Saturday, there will be other immediate savings for some customers. A one-way ticket between downtown and Arlington Heights, for example, will drop to $5.50 from the current $6.75.

Will the end result be enough to get those pre-pandemic Metra users back on the train? We hope so. Mass transportation is generally a good value financially and is an important factor in reducing expressway congestion and improving our air quality.

Metra's next challenge, of course, is that huge deficit awaiting in 2026. The legislature now must sort through the CMAP recommendations, which may mean "monumental, forward-facing things" ahead, not just for Metra but for the entire public transportation landscape in our region. In the meantime, the changes coming to Metra should help bring some new strength to that component of the system.