Although the CTA has a long history of financial struggles, they have always shown resilience against true economic fallout. Their current predicament, though, has the Chicagoland area more worried than usual. With massive debt accumulating the agency has announced their plan for a series of drastic service cuts, a plan they refer to as ‘doomsday.’
The CTA’s most recent ‘doomsday’ scenario was narrowly avoided earlier this month when Gov. Blagojevich rescued the agency with a $24 million bailout. The proposed plan was set to take effect on Sept. 16 and called for the elimination of 63 bus routes, the Yellow Line and Purple Line Express, fare hikes, and the layoff of over 600 employees. The fact that ‘doomsday’ came and went without incident is hardly reassuring, as the $24 million isn’t enough to hold the CTA over for even a matter of months. The new projected date for service cuts is Nov. 4 and according to CTA officials, if something isn’t done quickly, the economic status of the CTA will continue to worsen. Procrastination on the issue is costing the agency an additional $11.9 million per month, said CTA president Ron Huberman, who laid out the updated situation at a press conference in late September.
One proposed response to the situation is a sales tax hike in Cook and surrounding counties that would provide an additional $435 million to the CTA annually. Although this would help, the CTA claims to need approximately $6 billion just to repair aging trains and busses, so another more controversial plan is also developing. Expanding Illinois’ gambling facilities to fund the CTA is an idea heavily endorsed by Gov. Blagojevich, and even involves building a casino within the city. Some oppose the plan despite growing bipartisan support in the House and Senate, noting that the Chicagoland area would be second only to Las Vegas in gambling if the plan materialized.
CTA officials estimate loosing approximately 100,000 rides daily if service cuts take place, and possibly increasing the fare to $3. Chicago’s Olympic bid, which boasts a world-class mass transit system, may also be hindered by the CTA’s struggles. Huberman also cautioned that even more invasive actions are set to proceed in early 2008 if the situation remains unresolved.
On an everyday level, service cuts would affect Chicagoans citywide. Here at NEIU, where many students make bus and train commutes to and from class, the impact would be serious. As Nov. 4 nears be sure to check the official CTA website, www.transitchicago.com, to find out which routes will be affected.