CTA riders will be spared any fare hikes or service cuts next year, though the agency continues to push for more state funding to continue making investments in the aging system.
The CTA on Thursday announced a balanced budget for 2019, with $1.6 billion for operations, and a five-year, $2.9 billion capital improvement plan for facilities, stations and equipment.
CTA officials say they face challenges from a shortfall in state funding for both operations and new infrastructure. The state has not had a capital infrastructure bill since 2009 — a theme being hammered home with increasing urgency this fall by the CTA, Metra, Pace, urban planners and road-building interests.
“The lack of certainty posed by the absence of a consistent, long-term capital bill is a growing concern,” CTA President Dorval Carter said in a letter included as part of the budget document. “If it’s not addressed soon, CTA will not able to continue the critical investment seen over (the) last several years.”
This year, all three transit agencies raised fares, citing state budget problems. For 2019, fare hikes are not expected for CTA, Metra or Pace, though Pace is planning some cuts to suburban bus service and Metra warns that cuts could be coming for the commuter rail line.
In 2019, the CTA will continue work on ongoing projects, including breaking ground on the $2.1 billion Red and Purple Line modernization project, completion of station projects, including the new facility at 95th Street on the Red Line, and building a new stop at Damen Avenue on the Green Line. The CTA also will continue track and station rehabilitation along the Blue Line, the agency said.
The CTA also expects to start construction of 7000-series rail cars at a new manufacturing plant in the Hegewisch neighborhood.
Carter and other CTA officials touted their ability to tighten the agency’s belt in recent years — with cost savings and additional revenue from nonfare sources, such as advertising in stations. The agency has eliminated 145 management positions since Carter became president in 2015 and frozen hiring for 150 positions.
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