Metra Eyes Another Fare Increase
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Metra officials are staring at a projected 45 million dollar budget deficit.
And a proposed 2018 budget looks to riders to help close the gap. That would start with fare increases.
"It would be a basic 25 cent increase on all one-way tickets and then sort of a corresponding increase on ten-rides and monthly tickets," said Metra spokesperson Michael Gillis. He added there would also be service cuts on the North Central and Southwest services as well as the Rock Island and Milwaukee District North lines.
"We have raised fares four years in a row. We have done that because our funding is just not there," said Gillis.
The fare increases would raise an estimated 17 million dollars.
"That doesn't really go that far when we need, by some estimates, 1.2 billion dollars a year," according to Gillis.
A number of public hearings will be held on the budget before a vote next month.
If approved, changes would take effect in February of next year.