Mass Transit

In 2008, the CTA threatened to cut 2,400 workers and 81 bus routes as a result of the budget crunch.14 The "doomsday" clouds were chased away when state lawmakers passed a $530 million bill to fund Chicago-area mass transit with a sales tax increase: .25 percent in Cook County and .5 percent in the collar counties.15

In 2009, socked with a $155 million decrease in public subsidies by the RTA, which cited a steep drop in sales tax receipts, the CTA stared down yet another budget deficit.16 And again, the agency avoided having to take drastic measures such as service cuts and widespread layoffs by trimming $35 million from its operating budget.17 Early in the year it raised fares, increasing the cost of a one-way CTA train ride to $2.25.

But there was little relief for Chicago transit riders and Chicago-area Metra commuters who continued coping with overcrowding, slow zones, bus "bunching," L backups, outmoded buses and trains, and, particularly on the South Side, an appalling scarcity of bus routes. Primed by the high price of gasoline and Governor Blagojevich's ill-considered, costly mandate to provide free rides to seniors - his price for not vetoing the sales tax bill - ridership on the CTA, Metra, and Pace was at its highest since 1992.18 Without the funds for widespread improvements or expansion, the CTA was reduced to removing seats from trains and decreasing the number of seats on buses as an unpopular answer to the overcrowding.19

In its long-range strategic plan, the RTA estimated that it needed $16 billion in capital investments over the next 5 years, and $57 billion over the next 30 years, to repair and modernize the rail infrastructure, fix equipment, and replace dilapidated buses and train cars.20 Although the CTA welcomed the $2.7 billion doled out to the transit agencies via a 2009 state capital spending bill and "mini" capital bill,21 it was significantly short of adequate - even when factoring in the $240 million the CTA received in the federal stimulus bill (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) for maintenance and capital improvements, and the $140 million that went to Metra.22

And so, in 2009 the CTA, while committing $88 million of its federal stimulus funds to upgrading the Blue Line, found itself in a familiar holding pattern on other long-planned station rehabilitation projects. One such project includes the extension of the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street - a move that would not only provide much-needed transportation access on the South Side, but also create jobs. A community group, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL), called for the creation of a "Gold Line" that would combine CTA and Metra services to bring better and more frequent service to the densely populated neighborhoods near the lakefront and south of Jackson Park, as well as serve Olympic venues if they came to pass. But with so little money available for capital projects, there was little likelihood that the project, a cost of more than $160 million, would take off.23

To its credit, the CTA has taken positive strides in overcoming the failures of its former president, Mayor Daley favorite Frank Kruesi, who ignored such basic needs as track maintenance. Instead, Kruesi committed millions of taxpayer dollars to splashy mega-projects such as the Block 37 "superstation" in the Loop, which was suspended and mothballed, along with the Mayor's pet airport express train to O'Hare and Midway. Although the airplane project cost taxpayers $200 million before it ended, more than $100 million more was needed to complete the job.24 At a time when Chicago needed all the friends in the legislature it could get, Kruesi's arrogance alienated people in Springfield. "There were some in the Legislature who were not happy with Frank and saw him as heavy-handed," said Dave Schultz, director of Northwestern University's Infrastructure Technology Institute. 25 Kruesi resigned in March 2007.

Under Ron Huberman, who was CTA president until January 2009, when he became CEO of Chicago Public Schools, the agency trimmed its payroll, repaired relations with the legislature, negotiated a pension deal with CTA unions, and committed the agency to track maintenance and cleanliness. Huberman also oversaw the agency's lease of 150 hybrid buses and the purchase of 58 accordion-style buses paid for with federal stimulus dollars.26 The buses were due to hit the streets by the fall of 2009. In February, the CTA removed 225 accordion-style buses from circulation that were purchased from another manufacturer after cracks and other structural defects were discovered.27

However impressively Huberman performed, the public's distrust of and antagonism toward the CTA and its poor track record in management, accountability, and transparency remained strong. In 2007, the CTA stopped publishing quarterly reports of the number of accidents it incurred and the number of complaints it had received.28

Huberman's replacement, former Chicago Aviation Commissioner Richard Rodriguez, made minor disruptions by taking away the free use of company cars for CTA employees.29 But he will have bigger fish to fry. Until Chicago solves the unconscionable disparity in public transit between the North and South Sides - and commuters can count on adventure-free rides to and from work - public transportation in the city and surrounding areas will be far from medal-worthy, the loss of the Olympic bid aside.