(The following story by Gloria Carr appeared on the Suburban Chicago News website on August 18.)
CHICAGO — Angelica Gabina, of Carpentersville, is used to riding the bus, but she hadn’t taken the Metra train until just recently.
And she loved it.
On a recent trip her family took to Lincoln Park Zoo, the children rode for free and she and her husband paid $5 each, she said.
Like Pace, Metra has seen ridership increase.
“As the weather gets better, we have a slight dip in ridership because people take vacation,” said spokeswoman Meg Reile.
“What we have seen this year is the trains this summer have continued to be packed. It has not dipped at all.”
Reile predicts trains will be more crowded by the fall, when regular riders return and new ones continue to be added.
Riding Metra is a low-cost option. The average one-way fare, based on a 22.4-mile trip, is $4.30, she said. Gas has averaged around $4 a gallon this summer. About 20.5 percent of Metra riders make that 22.4-mile trip every day.
Riding Metra also means commuters aren’t sitting in traffic, aren’t putting wear and tear on their cars, and aren’t paying for parking.
But Metra is paying the higher cost for diesel fuel. Like Pace, Metra officials say it has gone over its fuel budget. Metra’s current budget is $5.5 million in the red, Reile said.
Pace budgeted $2.65 a gallon for diesel fuel, but at one point this summer was paying $4.07, she said.
“The prices are fluctuating constantly as the trend toward increase is continuing the rest of the year. While we are $5.5 million over budget, we expect that number to grow. It’s impacting our operating expenses, and the number of riders we are getting is not offsetting that,” she said.
A system-wide fare increase doesn’t necessarily generate the much-needed revenue, so Metra is looking into other options for reducing its budget, Reile said.
“We are required to have a balanced budget, so other projects are being put off to balance our budget,” she said.
Meanwhile, Metra is helping families like the Gabinas balance their budget and still enjoy summer activities.