The Davy Crockett
Engineer
Another city's transit agencies say funding will not meet future needs.
From the Chicago Tribune: (Article linked here)
From the Chicago Tribune: (Article linked here)
CHI Area Transit Funding Woes
- Thread starter The Davy Crockett
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Here in Austin the Capitol Metro Transportation Board (Bus/Light Rail/Van)Voted to Increase all of the Fares but they the Increases wont be effective until 2015! They say it doesnt have anything to do with the Fact that we have a City Council and Mayorial Election next year coming up under the new 10/1 Districting Plan that the Voters Approved last Fall! <_< (Three of the board Members will be running for Mayor! )Wonder if they got this Delay idea from Washington??? :help:
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Nathanael
Guest
It's all true -- what's worse, it's been true for decades. The same recommendations have been made over and over again. Back in the early 90s, I remember that unification was recommended. I remember that the CTA and Metra were both stating that they didn't have enough money to catch up on the backlog of deferred maintenance (remember, they inherited tracks from private companies, and they were seriously decrepit when they were inherited -- run into the ground). I also remember that they said that there wasn't any money to expand to meet future demand.
Even earlier, the RTA was founded in an abortive attempt at unification. And to deal with the lack of funding for CTA and Metra....
Both CTA and Metra have actually made progress since then, but they *still* haven't managed to finish dealing with the deferred maintenance (for instance, Red Line North is still basically the original railroad built in 1900). They certainly haven't been able to expand to meet future demand, despite a couple of expansions. And there's still an unnecessary amount of administrative fragmentation.
So, all true, and it's been true for waaaay too long. Every now and then, just before doomsday, the state manages to inject a lump sum of money which staves off the crisis for another few years. As Bugs Bunny would say, this is no way to run a railroad.
I feel like we just went through this. I remember when they got rid of free fares for all senior citizens and switched that to an income-based program. I think it was a few years ago. With the recent track reconstruction projects, I thought they were finally staying in the black.
Well, to be fair, I don't think the transit agencies are ringing the "doomsday" alarm again, at least not yet.
This is a state commission chartered to investigate reforming the Chicago transit system(s). Many people on both sides of the political aisle rightly believe that should involve not just cleaning up any corruption -- the commission was prompted by recent shenanigans at Metra, which were also bipartisan :giggle: -- but more structural reform of how the transit system is organized and financed.
Thus, the transit-agency leaders are testifying before the commission to their ongoing and general funding shortfall, not going hat-in-hand to the Legislature seeking more funding now or particular fare hikes/service cuts will occur after a certain deadline.
This is a state commission chartered to investigate reforming the Chicago transit system(s). Many people on both sides of the political aisle rightly believe that should involve not just cleaning up any corruption -- the commission was prompted by recent shenanigans at Metra, which were also bipartisan :giggle: -- but more structural reform of how the transit system is organized and financed.
Thus, the transit-agency leaders are testifying before the commission to their ongoing and general funding shortfall, not going hat-in-hand to the Legislature seeking more funding now or particular fare hikes/service cuts will occur after a certain deadline.
If they simply dissolved the RTA, that would free up a few million bucks right there, and not a single passenger would notice any difference.
Last winter CTA finally took a few steps to stop competing with Pace on useless routes at the edge of the service area. That was a good move as well.
Last winter CTA finally took a few steps to stop competing with Pace on useless routes at the edge of the service area. That was a good move as well.
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Nathanael
Guest
The purpose of the RTA is to force Metra and CTA to cooperate and coordinate. So far... well... they haven't been very successful at that goal. But it's a good goal and someone has to do it. It's absurd that there is nowhere where you can change trains from Metra to CTA without wandering around the streets; it's more absurd that you can't pay for both with the same farecard, and after 30 years of trying, supposedly that is finally going to get fixed.
An agency that takes more than three decades and still failing to get subsidiary agencies to cooperate is simply a useless agency. They contribute nothing of value to public transportation in Chicago. Period. If the goal is to force CTA and Metra to have fare integration, that can be done with direct state legislation (just as it took legislation, or at least the threat of legislation - I forget which, to force Metra to finally accept credit cards a couple years ago). As far as I know, there is still no plan to have Metra accept the same farecard technology that CTA accepts (Ventra is for CTA and Pace, which already shared Chicago cards and magnetic transit cards for the past decade and a half).
While it is true that there are no really good connections between CTA rail and downtown train stations, there are actually three places (that I can think of off the top of my head) where one can transfer between CTA and Metra without "wandering around the streets" as you say. In two of them, CTA and Metra actually share station facilities. Those locations just aren't downtown.
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
CTA and Pace could consolidate into GCTA, Greater Chicago Transit Authority. But I don't know about Metra, they have poor indirect connections with CTA/Pace.
CTA and Pace serve two very different markets, despite being geographically very close. CTA is an urban transit system, with frequent routes carrying high ridership. Pace serves a very large service are of mostly low-density suburban development. Merging those two would just be a huge political nightmare, not to mention an administrative nightmare.
Pace itself, in some ways, still operates as if the old operating companies are still separate. Each Pace garage has its own separate labor agreement with drivers on separate seniority lists.
Pace itself, in some ways, still operates as if the old operating companies are still separate. Each Pace garage has its own separate labor agreement with drivers on separate seniority lists.
Shawn Ryu
Conductor
All Metra and CTA needs to coordinate together is new subway line connecting Union Station and Ogilvie to rest of L lines. New subway line that goes underground in downtown.
But thats gonna cost 100 trillion at least. And take 200 years.
But thats gonna cost 100 trillion at least. And take 200 years.
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Nathanael
Guest
I assume you mean bus to Metra connections? Because I can't find *any* rail to rail connections, even on the outlying ends of the L.
Anyway, the RTA publishes the only coordinated system map. You gotta employ someone to do that.
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Nathanael
Guest
OK, I see: Jefferson Park is actually an integrated building. Oak Park Metra / Harlem CTA is sort of connected, but actually not integrated. Likewise, Davis is "adjacent" but not integrated. Those were the examples you were thinking of.
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
Jefferson Park is pretty much the best example I can think of for transit intregation, it combines Metra, CTA Rapid Transit, and CTA Bus serivce all in one. There is no such equivelent anywhere close to downtown, Jefferson Park is pretty far away.
