2019 Budget and Program Book
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2019 OPERATING and CAPITAL PROGRAM and BUDGET a UP-N o T ILLINOIS / WISCONSIN STATE LINE Kenosh Winthrop Harbor McHENRY Antioch NCS LAKE Zion MD-N Lake Villa UP-NW Fox Lake Harvard Ingleside Round Lake Beach Long Lake Washington St. Waukegan McHenry Round Lake (Grayslake) Grayslake Prairie Crossing North Chicago Prairie Crossing N Great Lakes Woodstock Libertyville Lake Bluff LAKE Mundelein MICHIGAN Lake Forest Crystal Lake Cary Lake Pingree Rd. Vernon Hills Forest Fort Sheridan Prairie View Highwood Fox River Grove Buffalo Grove Highland Park Deerfield Ravinia Barrington Braeside Lake Cook Wheeling Rd. Glencoe Northbrook Hubbard Woods KANE COOK Palatine Prospect Winnetka Heights N. Glenview Indian Hill Arlington Park Kenilworth MD-W Arlington Heights Glenview Wilmette Big Timber Central St. (Evanston) Mt. Prospect Golf Elgin Cumberland Des Plaines Davis St. (Evanston) O' Dee Road Morton Grove National St. Hare Trans Main St. (Evanston) h Park (Elgin) Bartlett fer Edgebrook Rogers Park a Ridge Hanover Park Schaumburg Roselle Edison Park Medina R Forest Glen Itasc osemo Norwood Park ood Dale nt W Schiller Park Gladstone Park Mayfair Bensenville Jefferson Park Franklin Ravenswood Park Irving DU PAGE k Park G River Grove ray Elmwood Park land Mont Clare n Mars Clybourn ve. Galewood Healy UP-W Hanson Par n Elmhurst Franklin Park Villa Park Mannheim est Chicago Berkeley ster CHICAGO k e W Lombard Grand/ W Maywood Oa Park River Forest Glen Elly Cicero Elburn Winfield College A Wheaton e. La Fox Van Buren Av Geneva e Kedzie ) ) ergne Museum Campus/11th St. Bellwood wyn Cicero 18th St. LaV Melrose Park Ber n Harlem McCormick Place Riversid ster Halsted Hollywood We 27th St. estern Springs ville W 35th St./ d Hinsdale Clarendon Hills (Downers Grove (Downers Grove “Lou” Jones 47th St. e. 53rd St. Naper Route 59 Aurora Av 55th-56th-57th St. e. Brookfiel Summit 59th nd Lisle Av 63rd Stone Stony Islan Mawrhore Congress Park ry S k B uth Par stmont La Grange Rd. So Main St. Belmont Highlands sor view Wrightwood 75th Wind We st Hinsdale 79th 79th St. Ashburn Brainerd Fair 83rd 83rd St. BNSF We Willow Springs Oak 91st St. Gresham 87th 87th St. Lawn 95th St. 91st St. 93rd St. 95th St. Chicago Ridge 99th St. 95th St. 103rd St. 103rd St. 107th St. 107th St. Worth 111th St. Washington Hghts. 111th St. (Pullman) WILL 115th St. Palos Heights 119th St. 115th St. (Kensington) . e e n g Lemont 123rd St. St a d ve. Av e t Prairie k A Palos Park a t Ri ta ne ullm i r O S P nd c (Blue Island) a Vermont St. la land W. Ra SS ew s sh I Burr Romeoville A St 143rd St. e 13 He Robbins lu 7t To S. B g (Orland Park) h S e Bend 144th t. wi (Rive sch Midlothian St r . dale 147th (I ) van 153rd St. S ho t. e) (Orland Park) Oak Forest (Sibl Lockport ey Harvey Blvd. Tinley Park ) METRA BOARD Hazel Crest 179th St. Calumet New Le (Orland Park) Tinley Park/ 80th Ave. Homewood HC no x Hickory Creek Flossmoor Joliet Mokena-Front St. of DIRECTORS Olympia Fields RI 211th St. (Lincoln Hwy.) Laraway Road Matteson (New Lenox) Richton Park ME University Park ILLINOIS / INDIANA STATE LINE Manhattan SWS Norman Carlson Tim Baldermann Steven K. Messerli Chairman Director Director Lake County Will County Kane County Romayne C. Brown Don A. De Graff Stephen Palmer Vice Chairman Director Director Cook County Suburban Cook County Suburban Cook County John Plante Alexandra Holt John P. Zediker Treasurer Director Director Suburban Cook County Chicago DuPage County Rodney S. Craig Ken Koehler Secretary Director Suburban Cook County McHenry County TABLE of CONTENTS 1 Making the Case for Capital Funding 3 2019 Budget 6 System Overview 7 Funding Overview 8 Ridership 9 Fares 10 Fair Initiatives 11 Organization 15 Oversight 16 Strategic Plan Update 21 Capital Program 23 2019 Budget Overview Steven K. Messerli 26 Appendix Director Kane County Stephen Palmer Director Suburban Cook County John P. Zediker Director DuPage County 1 OPERATING and CAPITAL PROGRAM and BUDGET A Message from the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer on behalf of the Metra Board of Directors and Staff MAKING THE CASE FOR CAPITAL FUNDING Metra has an economic model built on our passengers to help us educate state legislators macroeconomic factors that existed over 40 years ago about the dire need for operating and capital funding and are no longer sustainable in today’s economic for public transit. It is our customers who are suffering climate. Absent adequate long-term sustained funding and will continue to suffer from service disruptions – both operating and capital – Metra cannot survive caused by aging equipment and infrastructure. in its present form. Thus, the overarching strategic question for Metra’s future is: Do the people of So let’s start with what Metra’s loyal and frequent northeast Illinois value Metra and do they want Metra riders want: to survive and grow? • On-time departure and a safe on-time arrival • The fastest possible trip time Today, we are laying the groundwork for the 2020s. • Reasonable fares Over the next several months, Metra is taking a very hard look at its funding sources. We will be asking What has Metra delivered? Among its peers Metra our stakeholders, passengers, non-riders, mayors has: and managers, county officials, planning agencies, • The best on-time performance economic development groups and business • The lowest fares leadership groups to assist us in educating our state • The lowest operating costs legislators about the critical need for more funding. Metra has accomplished this while operating the Last year, we used this space to outline the factors oldest fleet of locomotives and passenger cars in behind the financial crisis faced by Metra and the the United States. In addition, Metra operates in the region’s other transit agencies. Another year has nation’s most complex railroad environment with passed without substantial improvement. The 1,300 to 1,400 trains moving through the Chicago difference this year is that Metra does not plan to region each weekday. Metra alone is responsible for raise fares in 2019. Through diligent cost controls, 737 train movements, and it hosts 39 South Shore Metra is able to present a balanced operating budget Line trains from Indiana, 18 Amtrak trains and up to for 2019 without a fare increase, and the Metra Board 60 freight trains. of Directors has decided to not raise fares for our capital needs. While our riders will appreciate this, Metra fares cover just a third of what we currently let’s be very clear that the problems we outlined last spend to operate and invest in the system. But year are only getting worse. they only cover about a fifth of what we should be spending, because we continue to underinvest in the If Metra is in such financial straits, why not raise fares system. again? Because members of the Board recognize that Metra cannot possibly dig its way out of this financial On the operating side, we need to rethink our reliance morass through the fare box. The fare increases in on the current sales tax, the principal source of the previous four years were intended, in part, to subsidy funding for train service operations. Those help provide a portion of the capital funding required taxes are growing too slowly, hurt by fluctuations in to replace aging locomotives and railcars. But these our economy and the shift from manufacturing to increases raised only nickels and dimes relative to our service industries. In addition, the state has added billions of dollars in capital needs. surcharges for collecting our taxes and cut a portion of the sales tax proceeds that they contribute to the Metra’s passengers have already stepped up to the RTA. plate. But we still need their help. Now is the time for OPERATING and CAPITAL PROGRAM and BUDGET 2 The capital situation is even more serious. The state upgrade and expand its capacity at its 49th Street of Illinois has not had a bond program to fund capital facility to increase the manufacturing capacity from projects since 2009, meaning that Metra currently 35 to 60 cars per year. This is creating short-term has no state source of capital funding. Metra’s 2019 construction jobs, and in the long-term additional capital budget is less than $200 million, mostly from permanent jobs. the federal government. This is well below the amount we need each year to bring our system into a state of More tangible evidence is the 21 recently overhauled good repair and keep it that way. Because we don’t locomotives that Metra acquired at a bargain price have the money needed to replace our assets on a of $27 million that are now being delivered. Metra regular basis, it gets more expensive every year to is in the process of overhauling 27 locomotives in- maintain them. house, which is projected to save Illinois taxpayers $20 million as opposed to outsourcing this work. In so The state of Illinois needs a large capital bill so doing, Metra has created 30 well-paying permanent that Metra can begin to replace its deteriorating middle-class jobs, people who also reinvest their infrastructure. However, it’s also become clear the paychecks in our local economy. In addition, Metra is past practice of “feast or famine” capital programs outsourcing the remanufacturing of 42 locomotives. does not work – it is increasing the backlog of Metra’s investment in overhauling its current fleet infrastructure needs faced by Metra, the region’s of locomotives is $115 million in addition to the $27 other public transportation providers and Illinois’ million for the acquisition of the 21 locomotives.