Chicago Transit Authority decided Wednesday to eliminate Purple Line express trains and nearly all bus service in Evanston unless it gets more funding from the state.
The Chicago Transit Board voted at its monthly meeting to implement a plan that would cut about 36 percent of all transit service starting July 17. The plan, which would increase wait times by 68 percent, will not go into effect if the Illinois General Assembly alleviates CTA’s $55 million operating deficit for 2005.
The plan would eliminate Purple Line express trains south of the Howard Street station, weekday Purple Line trains before 5 a.m. and Saturday night Purple Line trains after 1 a.m.
It will also eliminate all bus service in Evanston except for Route 97, which runs through south Evanston en route to Skokie, and the night bus N201.
Bus and rail cash fares will rise to $2 per trip. CTA will no longer issue cash transfers, although transit card transfers will remain 25 cents. The plan will also eliminate about 2,000 CTA jobs.
State Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), chairwoman of the Illinois State House of Representatives’ Mass Transit Committee, said she will push for the federal government to subsidize some of CTA’s cost for handicapped passengers, freeing up state funding for general transit operations.
“I really am very hopeful that we can keep service cuts from going into effect,” Hamos said. “I believe the next step is to create a consensus for more funding.”
In a press conference after the board meeting, CTA Vice President for Planning and Development Michael Shiffer said the cuts would have a minimal effect on Evanston.
“They will have Purple Line service,” Shiffer said. “They do have Metra service; they do have Pace service.”
Jacqueline Leavy, executive director of the Chicago-based Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, told board members there was not enough public involvement in CTA’s decision-making process and said economic losses from service cuts “border on the surrealistic.”
“Sadly this is part of CTA’s sinking credibility in the eyes of riders and public officials,” Leavy said.
According to CTA documents, the agency received more than 500 e-mails about its plans and 212 people attended a public hearing on the matter held April 7. But the board spent little time discussing the service cuts during the meeting.
“Hopefully this is just our back-up plan and none of it will have to take place,” said Susan Leonis, vice chairman of the board.
CTA, Metra and Pace receive funding from the state. On Wednesday, Hamos’ committee released a report criticizing the funding formula for the transportation agencies. The formula has not changed since 1983 and CTA had earlier wanted the Illinois General Assembly to rewrite it.
CTA Board Chairwoman Carole Brown said the committee’s report was a good step toward averting the service cutbacks and fare hikes.
“I’m encouraged by the recommendations that came out of the Hamos committee today, ” Brown said.
Service cuts would cause “severe overcrowding on buses and trains,” Shiffer said.
CTA staff designed the cuts so they would have the least impact on transit-dependent customers. Rush-hour commuters — who are more likely to have alternative forms of transportation — will be hit the hardest, he said.
“The first people to leave the system in this scenario will be the people who ride with us by choice,” Shiffer said.
The CTA proposed that service cuts take place in January, but delayed implementation by six months to give the General Assembly time to increase transit funding. Current proposed cuts are about twice what was recommended for January, said CTA President Frank Kruesi.
“There’s clear determination, I believe, to address this in Springfield,” Kruesi said.
Reach Greg Hafkin at [email protected].
