Metra, the widely used commuter rail system that serves Northeast, Illinois, has approved it’s largest single fare hike in it’s history. The 25 percent rate hike is the largest increase in rates within the past four years. Metra officials claim the rate increase is necessary to help close a budget gap of $53.6 million for 2012.
This significant rate hike comes in lieu of service cuts. According to an online survey taken by 7,000 commuters, people seem more willing to deal with the fare increases than willing to put up with loss of service. Commuters will also be seeing more increases in the future, although they will smaller increases, but will occur more frequently.
One way tickets will increase an average of 15.7%, “ten ride” tickets by 30%, and the monthly commuter passes will increase 29.4%. Metra has also made sure that people cannot hoard “ten ride” tickets by purchasing ahead at current prices, setting them to expire shortly after the new rates go into effect.
New prices are set to go into effect on February 1, 2012. This new rate increase will certainly put a pinch in the budgets of all the many people who use Metra for their daily commutes to work in Chicago and the outlying Chicago suburbs.