[il-talk] Article from Chicago Tribune News 2011 07 16

[Jemal Powell]

For those of you who ride Metra, this article form the Tribune on Saturday July 16  should be of interest to all of you.  
I'm sure Metra will be duscussed at the next Transportation committee meeting.  

From: NFB-NEWSLINE Online <nfbnewsline at nfb.org>
To: Jemal Powell <derek2872 at yahoo.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2011 11:25 AM
Subject: Article from Chicago Tribune News 2011 07 16


Metra: Service cuts loom Board mulls canceling dozens of weekly trains to plug deficit. By Richard Wronski, Tribune reporter. Citing unprecedented financial pressures, Metra officials on Friday outlined some stark realities for riders starting next year, including possible service reductions on almost all lines and potential fare increases of up to 20 percent. . Metra board members will consider eliminating 31 weekday trains and 18 weekend trains, which officials said would save the agency $8.2 million a year. It would be the first time Metra has cut service for budget reasons. The savings are intended to offset a potential $100 million deficit in 2012 that has been exacerbated by high diesel fuel costs, according to Metra CEO Alex Clifford. We are facing some tough financial times ahead," Clifford told board members. Clifford also set the stage for a round of fare increases, noting that the transit agency's fares are about half the average fares charged
 by commuter rail lines in other large cities. For example, a monthly pass for which Metra riders pay about $100 costs an average of nearly $200 on other systems, Clifford said. Regular revenue increases in the future are needed," Clifford said. No specific fare hikes have been proposed. The last time Metra raised fares was in 2010, when weekend fares rose to $7, from $5, and the price of one-way tickets went up an average of 6 percent. Metra raised regular weekday fares 10 percent in 2008. Board members are expected to discuss the proposed service cuts and fare hikes at their next few meetings. They indicated a combination of measures would be the likely approach. Metra will also post potential changes on its website and seek comments from the public. A key variable in the decision-making will be estimating diesel costs, which have blown a hole in Metra's budget, officials said. Budget Director Jim Mikus speculated that without any service cuts, Metra
 riders might see a 12 percent fare hike in 2012 and an additional 8 percent increase in 2013. Regarding service cuts, Metra staff recommended that from two to four trains per weekday be eliminated on 10 of Metra's 11 lines. Only the Heritage Corridor, which has six trains per day, would be spared cuts. Weekend service would be reduced on three lines, the Milwaukee District North, Union Pacific North and SouthWest Service. Extra service for White Sox and Bears games would be eliminated. The proposed cuts were designed to minimize customer impact, officials said. Nevertheless, Metra acknowledged that it was "difficult to ascertain ... if riders will continue to use Metra or will decide to drive or use other options. Other options were considered but not recommended. These included eliminating midday and evening service on all lines; ending all weekend service; or eliminating trains that average fewer than 100 passengers. Any of these options would "start
 driving riders away," Clifford said. According to Metra, the agency's budget is being squeezed in several extraordinary ways. First, rising diesel prices could cost Metra from $58 million to more than $109 million in 2012, depending on which predictions are used. Second, Metra in 2011 fell short of a requirement that it recover 55 percent of its revenue from fares. That's because millions of dollars in special credits that the Legislature allowed the transit systems in 2008 are expiring. In addition, Metra believes it should no longer continue transferring money from its capital fund -- money used for upkeep of equipment -- to pay for day-to-day operations. Metra has transferred $60 million from its capital to operating budget this year. Officials said Metra is operating efficiently. There is no excess administration (costs) at Metra compared with its peers," Mikus said. Metra board members appeared divided on the proposed service reductions. Directors
 Larry Huggins, of Chicago, and Willis Pennington, of Olympia Fields, said they oppose service cuts, but others did not. Arlene Mulder, from Arlington Heights, said she was "nervous" about the proposed cuts, but added, "None are horrible. McHenry County's Jack Schaffer said he believes "there are areas that can be reduced. Director Jim LaBelle, ofLake County, urged that there be "no sacred cows" when it comes to deciding what to eliminate. If we're going to ask people to pay more, we need to be able to say (Metra) is running as well as it can," LaBelle said. \ - - -\ Proposed Metra train cuts Here are weekday trains Metra is proposing to eliminate (Train, departure time from originating stations) BNSF 1274 4:08 p.m. 1273 5:36 p.m. 1298 10:20 p.m. 1299 11:40 p.m. Metra Electric 758 7:47 a.m. 604 7:31 a.m. 503 4:54 p.m. 739 5:40 p.m. Milwaukee North 2122 7:16 a.m. 2137 5:15 p.m. 2152 6:20 p.m. 2151 7:35 p.m. Milwaukee West 2212 6:54 a.m. 2235 5:05 p.m.
 North Central Service 106 6:44 a.m. 111 4:58 p.m. Rock Island 402 5:29 a.m. 602 6:05 a.m. 302 8:10 a.m. 303 5:30 p.m. SouthWest Service 804 5:49 a.m. 831 6:15 p.m. Union Pacific North 358 7:10 p.m. 369 11:35 p.m. Union Pacific Northwest 645 5:23 p.m. 660 8:00 p.m. 665 11:30 p.m. Union Pacific West 12 5:22 a.m. 17 6:57 a.m. 28 7:32 a.m. 25 8:40 a.m. Heritage Corridor No service changes Weekend service proposed cuts Milwaukee North Line: 2 round trips on Saturday and 1 round trip on Sunday Union Pacific North: 2 round trips on Saturday and 1 round trip on Sunday SouthWest Service: Saturday service (3 inbound and 3 outbound trains) White Sox and Bears Extra Service Source: Metra ---------- chicagotribune.com/ getaround  Getting Around tells you what's now, what's new and what's next for commuters .   \  \ rwronski at tribune.com Twitter @richwronski 2011 0071 110716 N S 0000000000 00005342. ILLUSTRATION: Photo(s). Photo (color): A Metra train leaves Union
 Station on Thursday. The agency says fare increases, service cuts or both are needed to plug an expected budget deficit that has been fueled by the high cost of diesel. BRENT LEWIS/TRIBUNE PHOTO Photo: Passengers arrive last month at Millennium Park Station. Metra says its proposed cuts are intended to minimize customer impact. ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/TRIBUNE PHOTO. This article is provided to you as a courtesy of NFB-NEWSLINE® Online for your sole use. The content of this E-mail is protected under copyright law, and is not to be distributed in any manner to others; infringement of our non-dissemination agreement is strictly prohibited. Allowing someone to have access to this material is in violation of the Terms of Use agreement that you electronically signed when you signed up for NFB-NEWSLINE® Online. Please do not forward this E-mail or its attachments to any other person or disseminate it in any manner. Thank you. The NFB-NEWSLINE® Team.