Yesterday evening rode a Blue line train, and we eventually got out and walked the last mile home. The track was so damaged and/or the driver was so reluctant to go over 15 mph that a trip that should have taken 35 minutes was going to take twice as long.
This report doesn’t surprise me at all.
CTA blasted in ‘06 crash:
NTSB cites bad management, bogus inspection records in Blue Line accident
The Chicago Transit Authority, already preparing to balance its budget by increasing fares and cutting service, was rocked Tuesday by a federal report that blamed missing and falsified records, deferred rail maintenance and poor safety oversight for a 2006 Blue Line subway derailment.
A yearlong National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the July 11, 2006, derailment and fire that injured more than 150 passengers found that the probable cause was “the CTA’s ineffective management and oversight of its track inspection and maintenance program and its system safety program, which resulted in unsafe track conditions.”
“The track had clearly been deteriorating for a long time,” said Bob Chipkevich, director of the safety board’s office of railroad, pipeline and hazardous materials investigations. “It did not happen overnight.”
The CTA’s track inspection and maintenance, Chipkevich said, were the worst he has seen at any U.S. transit agency.
On a related point, in the CTA car, and presumedly in every CTA owned vehicle, there was a chart explaining that Chicago lags behind most major U.S. cities in providing state money to help fund the public transit system. According to the chart, CTA only gets 48% of its revenue from state budgets, whereas cities like Atlanta, Philadelphia get much more. I haven’t found the actual numbers yet, they seemed a little suspect (since when did LA have a subway?), but it might be true in general. (I did find detailed info about the Chicago regional capital numbers, but not other cities Regional capital needs 5 year plan, PDF)
from the CTA’s SaveChicagoTransit page
Why is the CTA funding crisis happening now?
Public funding for transit in Northeastern Illinois, which was established by state law 24 years ago, has not kept pace with inflation or with the steadily increasing demands on transit. Transit needs additional funding in order to accommodate population growth, job growth, the end of federal operating support, and the rising costs of fuel and security.
CTA is underfunded compared to many other major transit systems in the United States. For example, public funding covers a higher percentage of total operating costs of transit systems in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
Why can’t CTA run a deficit like the federal government?
Under the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority Act, the CTA is required to submit a balanced budget for approval by the RTA Board each year.
I believe it is incredibly short-sighted of the Illinois legislature to cut money from public transit - thereby increasing congestion for the entire region. Not to mention there is a lot of federal money that is being drained away from investment in our national infrastructure, and instead being wasted in the Dauphin’s futile war in Iraq.
