by doepack
byte wrote:What really needs to be done is a total integration of all the area's mass transit authorities. CTA + Metra + Pace. I know they're brought together under the RTA but that seems to be only an excuse for them all to fight for a bigger share of the funding.I'll side with that. But in the very least, I think that the RTA's current funding formula for the three agencies is seriously outdated and needs to be revamped, especially since overall CTA ridership has dropped 20% since the current formula was enacted in 1983. Despite the successes of the Orange line and the spike in Brown line service in recent years, CTA service is still lower than it was 20 years ago, but the current funding formula doesn't reflect that. It would indeed be in the best interest of all who use Metra, CTA, or Pace everyday to have all three agencies operated under one umbrella (a la MTA in New York), but unfortunately, CTA is but a part of Mayor Daley's fiefdom, to be staffed at will by his loyal minions. Eliminating this political angle to the problem may prove to be the hardest of all.
