By : Subuk Hasnain
Thu, 11/14/2013 - 10:48am
The Chicago Transit Authority Board unanimously approved on Wednesday a $1.38 billion budget for 2014 that preserves services and includes no transit fare increases.
In 2014, the CTA plans to undertake the $240 million expansion of the the Red Line's 95th/Dan Ryan station, a $203 million renovation of the Wilson Red Line station, and the construction of a new Green Line station at Cermak/McCormick.
The budget also includes the transit agency's ongoing $71.2 million Ravenswood Connector project, under which the agency plans to upgrade Brown Line and Purple Line tracks between the Chicago and Armitage stations.
“The Chicago Transit Board supports this fiscally responsible budget that reflects the strategic operational and management reforms under CTA President Forest Claypool’s leadership,” board Chairman Terry Peterson said in a press release. “The board is equally pleased that because the CTA continues to keep its financial house in order, it is able to continue to invest in modernization of the transit system while pursuing its mission of delivering quality, affordable, transit for its riders.”
Apart from construction projects, the approved budget includes funding for 1,000 new customer-facing jobs that were created in 2013 and paid for utilizing savings from efficiency reforms. According to a press release, savings in 2013 resulted from “modernizing supply chain operations to reduce excess inventory and lower materials expenses and lower worker absenteeism.” The CTA said that employee absenteeism has declined in each of the last two years, resulting in annual savings of $10 million for the agency.
CTA ridership in 2014 is expected to total 535 million people, exceeding the number of riders in 2011 by 1 percent but failing to match 2012’s ridership numbers.
The Chicago Civic Federation on Tuesday endorsed the CTA’s budget for next year and acknowledged the CTA’s efforts to manage its operating budget.
There was no opposition to the budget itself during the public comment portion of Wednesday’s meeting, but some community members accused the CTA of not focusing enough attention on disabled citizens and pregnant women. Erin Fowler, a mother and a CTA rider urged the transit authority to pay closer attention to its less-privileged passengers in the upcoming year.
The CTA board on Tuesday held a public hearing to get feedback on its proposed 2014 budget, but the Chicago Tribune reported that members of the public instead used the meeting as an opportunity to complain about the new Ventra fare-payment system.
This article was originally published on the Daily Whale website in 2013.