Next stop, service cuts? While dismissing any talk of a "doomsday'' transit crisis, CTA President Forrest Claypool did say that Bruce Rauner's proposed budget may cut even deeper into the transit agency's funding then expected, according to the Tribune. After yesterday's board meeting, Claypool said that the initial $105 million cut on the table, which represents seven percent of the agency's operating budget, may be an underestimate. While the RTA works on final numbers, it appears the proposed budget, if passed, would potentially curtail some of the CTA's recent expansion plans.
Claypool said that during a time of austerity, government should be doubling down on transit funding, because it's both a job and revenue creator. The $105 million cut could hurt the agency's ability to provide "essential public transit services."
While the CTA hasn't speculated or discussed what services or projects might be affected, a score of projects, including the downtown Superstation, Blue Line renovations and bus rapid transit are all in various stages of completion. Rauner's cuts also targeted subsidies for senior transportaion, and could potentially affect paratransit services.
·CTA chief: Rauner's proposed cuts worse than first thought [Tribune]
·Previous CTA coverage [Curbed Chicago]
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