by jck
mkellerm wrote:And the December numbers are out. Here are the headlines:It sounds like they're undercharging for the new trains, if ridership is up more than revenue, unless the additional passengers are taking shorter trips on average.
CHI-STL: ridership up 42.1%, revenue up 25.1%
CHI-CDL: ridership up 75.2%, revenue up 45.2%
CHI-QCY: ridership up 37.5%, revenue up 22.0%
My impression is that these are pretty good results, considering the service disruptions. Two of the three routes had larger YoY increases than November, and the third (CHI-STL) nearly matched its November increase despite several train cancellations. Combined, the three routes carried approx. 22,500 more passengers in Dec 2006 than in Dec 2005. The biggest concern would have to be the lower than expected revenues, which could force IDOT to pony up more cash to keep the new trains running.