Passenger Trains > Metra fiscal cliff coming in 2026

40% reduction in service unless funding is found. 

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250122/transportation/metra-fare-hikes-40-service-reduction-looms-without-funding-fix/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1pz2zXCC8YGi1oITblW_bw39sP2vd5NxSmpXML1ZC7fqfpHFAiIe2HuLQ_aem_DWhJvj4WiUopLwpXR2RuhQ

You can bet the rest of us downstate folks will be footing the bill to help. Our Governor hands out money like crazy and just keeps raising taxes.
Joe

Oh well, the good times are over.
It will be fun watching all the bobble head board members run for cover.

A few suggestions for a start:
Tell the feds they can keep the "free" battery powered choo choo's, Metra was going to be on the hook
for all the charging infrastructure,

See what can be done with the already year late new car order. Hundreds of cars coming. Perhaps some
can be sold/leased to states for regional use.

Quit running nearly empty eight car trains off-peak.

Renegotiate the multimillion dollar consultant contracts.

Instead of reduced fare passes for the nearly constant summertime bread and circus events downtown
take advantage of the high demand to charge regular if not higher fares.
 

Englewood Wrote:

>
> Quit running nearly empty eight car trains
> off-peak.

Same applies to most weekends outside of the summer.

Posted from Android

Trainatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You can bet the rest of us downstate folks will be
> footing the bill to help. Our Governor hands out
> money like crazy and just keeps raising taxes.
> Joe

You do realize of course that Chicago and the collar counties pay more in taxes than they get back?

Here’s a map from 2022 illustrating this:
https://www.farmweeknow.com/policy/state/state-tax-dollars-benefit-downstate-region-more-than-others/article_9207435a-ef0f-11eb-8280-ab69354d438c.html

Northeast Illinois is the economic engine for the state.

Posted from iPhone

kevink Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Trainatic Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You can bet the rest of us downstate folks will
> be
> > footing the bill to help. Our Governor hands
> out
> > money like crazy and just keeps raising taxes.
> > Joe
>
> You do realize of course that Chicago and the
> collar counties pay more in taxes than they get
> back?
>
> Here’s a map from 2022 illustrating this:
> https://www.farmweeknow.com/policy/state/state-tax
> -dollars-benefit-downstate-region-more-than-others
> /article_9207435a-ef0f-11eb-8280-ab69354d438c.html
>
>
> Northeast Illinois is the economic engine for the
> state.
>
> Posted from iPhone

Take Chicago out of Illinois and you don’t have much left.

Peak45068 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> kevink Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Trainatic Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > You can bet the rest of us downstate folks
> will
> > be
> > > footing the bill to help. Our Governor hands
> > out
> > > money like crazy and just keeps raising
> taxes.
> > > Joe
> >
> > You do realize of course that Chicago and the
> > collar counties pay more in taxes than they get
> > back?
> >
> > Here’s a map from 2022 illustrating this:
> >
> https://www.farmweeknow.com/policy/state/state-tax
>
> >
> -dollars-benefit-downstate-region-more-than-others
>
> >
> /article_9207435a-ef0f-11eb-8280-ab69354d438c.html
>
> >
> >
> > Northeast Illinois is the economic engine for
> the
> > state.
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> Take Chicago out of Illinois and you don’t have
> much left.

You have Iowa.

Peak45068 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Take Chicago out of Illinois and you don’t have
> much left.

Don't have much crime and corruption left.

Grew up there.  Would never move back.

-John

Typhoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 40% reduction in service unless funding is
> found. 

For years, Chicago-area commuter planning was designed for office workers going to, or from, downtown Chicago.  This included building massive parking lots in the suburbs.  It also attracted developers to build large condo and apartment buildings close to the  suburban train stations.  Covid changed all that.  Work from home became the new normal.  Downtown Chicago commercial office occupancy rates have dropped significantly.  It is time to adjust accordingly.
 

I was just in Chicago, and I witnessed packed red line trains, and some pretty decent loads getting on the Metra North line at Rogers Park!

redberan4449 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For years, Chicago-area commuter planning was
> designed for office workers going to, or from,
> downtown Chicago.  This included building massive
> parking lots in the suburbs.  It also attracted
> developers to build large condo and apartment
> buildings close to the  suburban train
> stations.  Covid changed all that.  Work from
> home became the new normal.  Downtown Chicago
> commercial office occupancy rates have dropped
> significantly.  It is time to adjust
> accordingly.

At one time Metra was planning an outer belt line. I don't recall at what point that idea stopped.  Can anyone refresh my memory?

Metra isn’t the only agency facing a looming funding shortfall. Lots of changes coming, one way or another.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> redberan4449 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > For years, Chicago-area commuter planning was
> > designed for office workers going to, or from,
> > downtown Chicago.  This included building
> massive
> > parking lots in the suburbs.  It also
> attracted
> > developers to build large condo and apartment
> > buildings close to the  suburban train
> > stations.  Covid changed all that.  Work from
> > home became the new normal.  Downtown Chicago
> > commercial office occupancy rates have dropped
> > significantly.  It is time to adjust
> > accordingly.
>
> At one time Metra was planning an outer belt line.
> I don't recall at what point that idea stopped. 
> Can anyone refresh my memory?

The Daily Herald, Chicago's suburban paper, reported in January of 2012 that Metra was no longer looking into the STAR line.

https://www.frrandp.com/2021/01/metras-unbuilt-star-line.html#google_vignette

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburban_Transit_Access_Route

Typhoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ts1457 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> > At one time Metra was planning an outer belt> line.
> > I don't recall at what point that idea> stopped. 
> > Can anyone refresh my memory?
>
> The Daily Herald, Chicago's suburban paper,
> reported in January of 2012 that Metra was no
> longer looking into the STAR line.

Thank you very much, Typhoon.

The trouble with serving points other than to and from downtown is that providing connectivity between lines and new links to make points in the region more accessible to each other would be huge. Heck, with four terminals in downtown Chicago. the opportunity for  even through routes is very limited.

Does anyone remember Professor Stanley Berge?

The issue is that RTA (CTA / Pace / Metra) is required to submit a budget where 50% or more of the operational costs are covered by the farebox. That requirement was temporarily lifted due to COVID and will be reinstated at the end of FY 2025. So they have to increase ticket revenue and reduce costs and somehow still provide a service people are willing to pay for.

Metra rezoned their system last year and reduced the price of individual rides and monthly tickets from the pre-pandemic prices. Hoping that lower fares would encourage ridership. Is that not an admission that higher fares will decrease ridership and reduce ticket revenue?

Ridership is not a 100% captive market. Reducing the number of trains and buses will not magically serve the same number of passengers on less vehicles. Less convenient service will discourage ridership. Only passengers with no other option are "forced" to ride public transit. Eliminating passengers who have a choice by reducing service will not improve ticket revenue.

There are certainly examples of services that can be reduced or combined but any cuts run the risk of reducing the value of the service below what most passengers are willing to pay.

The solution is to lower the expectations. Look at where farebox recovery is and set a goal that is achievable in the current marketplace. Look at WHY public transporation exists and the benefits to the community that may be worth providing service without an arbitrary "50%" rule.

One of the problems created by cutting services late at night, weekends etc is that people can't get to jobs in the hospital business, bars, bakeries, etc.  New York City experienced some of that when it cut back on overnight subway and bus services.  If people can't get to jobs, those employers suffer.

Latest Metra ridership figures.
Below expectations.
Cutting fares didn't help.
https://metra.com/sites/default/files/2025-01/10.%20VIII.%20D.%20Ridership%20Trends%20Report%20-%20R%26F.pdf

Metra has a Citizen's Advisory Board that meets a few times a year.
One member is a former operating exec from the KCS and ATSF.
At one meeting he mentioned cutting expenses and he was immediately barked at by one of the bobble head Board Members.

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/25 13:39 by Englewood.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One of the problems created by cutting services late at night, weekends etc is that people can't get
> to jobs in the hospital business, bars, bakeries, etc.  New York City experienced some of that when it
> cut back on overnight subway and bus services.  If people can't get to jobs, those employers suffer.

Services need to match the use case. There is demand for late night rides in the city. Perhaps an actuary would say "not enough demand" and cut services. If services are reduced I prefer that they be done in the least disruptive manner. Provide a baseline overnight service that may not be as convenient as peak services but does not leave people waiting for hours or even overnight to catch a ride on public transit.
 

Weekend ridership is pretty good with ridership on two Union Pacific lines above 2019 levels.