CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A new budget for the CTA comes with no change in fares.
The CTA’s new operating budget is nearly $2 billion-more than 9% higher than last year. Under the new budget, fares will remain where they are.
Bus and rail service will continue as is all the while the CTA expects to eventually add more service sometime in the year. The transit agency said that adding more workers is key to that.
"We are committed to adding more service in the year ahead, while also continuing to make the best decisions and investments that provide our riders with the highest levels of service, customer comfort, modernization and equity," CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. said in a statement.
About 700 new bus drivers have been hired this year so far with the CTA expecting to hire a couple of hundred more before the end of the year.
The CTA’s 2024-2028 Capital Improvement Program, which is separate from the agency’s operating budget, calls for $3.61 billion in projects over the next five years.
These projects include the All Stations Accessibility Program, bus system electrification, rail fleet modernization, and the Refresh & Renew initiative, which would involve the expansion of the annual facilities improvement program to include more CTA employee workplaces, while continuing to focus on rail station repairs and enhancements.
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