RTA Board Approves 2018 Regional Transit Operating Budget and Capital Program

December 14, 2017

At this morning’s meeting, the RTA Board of Directors unanimously approved the 2018 operating budgets for the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace totaling $4.2 billion.  The Board also adopted a five-year capital program in the amount of $4.2 billion.  This includes an estimated $1.2 billion in capital expenditures for 2018.

The operating budget authorized operations expenses in the following amounts for 2018: CTA, $1.514 billion; Metra, $797 million; Pace Suburban Bus Service, $232 million; Pace Regional ADA Paratransit, $179 million; and the RTA $34.3 million.

This capital program includes continued work on the CTA’s Red and Purple Modernization Program, new support facilities for Pace as they also upgrade their rolling stock, and new and rehabbed Metra train cars.

For the fourth year in row, the transit system will not receive new capital funding from the State of Illinois. The RTA estimates that in order to address the transit region’s growing backlog of capital needs and move forward, we should be investing $2 billion to $3 billion annually. For further details on the regional transit budget and capital program, view a copy of our press release here.