Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin joined seven other senators yesterday to introduce a bill, the Public Transportation Preservation Act of 2010, that would provide $2 billion in emergency funding to transit agencies nationwide to reverse fare increases and service cuts. more ›

Facing falling volume and rising debt, the U.S. Postal Service is looking to make some cuts, including an end to Saturday delivery. But it's going to be a hard fight if the USPS wants to get its way. Any changing of work schedules has to be done with the cooperation of the post workers' union which is against the reduction. There's also stiff opposition from the direct marketing lobby (yes, it exists). Overall, from Sept. 30, 2008 to Sept. 30, 2009, the postal service saw a 13 percent dip in volume, more than twice its previous biggest drop as well as $3.8 billion in losses. [WSJ] more ›

Next time you're at a CTA train station, If the rail cars you watch zoom by look somehow shinier and newer - the old route map and destination signs have been replaced with electronic versions, there's a surveillance camera on board, and the seats all face center - they probably are. The CTA is testing new, upgraded rail cars that will eventually replace in-use cars that are 30 or 40 years old. more ›

We've said it before but some of the best recent reporting on the CTA's doomsday service cuts has been done by the Tribune's/Red Eye's Tracy Swartz. And today the Windy Citizen has pulled in Tracy for a Q&A on the CTA cuts. Head over and pitch Tracy your questions and track down the latest on what's happening with the cuts, negotiations, and any potential restorations of services. more ›

There were fewer trains and buses and the ones that did run were more crowded, but CTA President Richard Rodriguez called the first full work day with reduced CTA services a "typical Monday" and the CTA reported "no major delays." more ›

The Chicago Transit Authority's "Doomsday" schedule was implemented yesterday, but today is supposedly the day where riders will feel the cuts in service. I'm of the opinion CTA wasn't doing a bang-up job maintaining its bus routes and schedules when they had a full service schedule — a friend Saturday called CTA the "Chicago Tardiness Authority" — but I have to say that my trip from Bridgeport to my day job in Evanston was none the worse for wear. Now ask me again after the return trip home. more ›

The day has finally come. No, not the Super Bowl, but CTA service cut day. Starting today, nine express buses will be eliminated, 41 bus routes will see their start and/or end times change, and 78 buses will see less frequent service. All rail lines except for the Yellow Line will also see less frequent service. In addition, 1,057 CTA employees--including 903 bus drivers and 116 rail operators--will be laid off. more ›

By now you've probably heard: the CTA is planning big cuts in service and jobs beginning Feb. 7. That means nine express bus routes will be eliminated completely, 119 bus routes and every rail line except the Yellow Line will run less frequently, and 41 bus routes will have reduced hours of operation. And that's not to mention the more than 1,100 CTA employees who stand to lose their jobs. If you're like us, you're dusting off your bike even though it's February; if you're like some of our readers, you may be getting fed up with the city altogether. more ›

With those big cuts looming on February 7, the CTA's biggest union is threatening a strike. Darrell Jefferson, president of Amalgamated Transit Union 241, told WBEZ, "At some point you have to draw a line in the sand. Thanks to Mr. Rodrieguez and Mr. Peterson, that line has been drawn. I'm not sure what they want, but what they're asking for is definitely not going to happen." Over 1,100 CTA workers - mostly union - are slated to lose their jobs with this round of cuts. more ›

It was the slightest of dips, but a dip nonetheless. CTA ridership was down one percent in 2009 over 2008. Rail ridership was up in '09 by two percent (just over 202 million) while bus ridership was down by three percent (around 319 million rides). But the CTA is upbeat about the small decrease, saying they expected it to much worse because of the economy and point to an overall double-digit growth over the last decade. We still wonder, though, what spin they'll put on the numbers next year when there's an even larger decrease thanks to those service cuts. We're all dusting off, tuning up, and winterizing our bikes. more ›

Significant bus and train service cuts and employee layoffs and are still set to begin on Feb. 7 for the CTA, despite an offer it made to labor unions today. The CTA offered to reduce the impact of the cuts in two weeks if its employees give back the 3.5 percent pay raise they received this year. The labor unions said no -- employees hadn't received a raise in four years. more ›

Yesterday evening, news broke of a deal between the RTA and Gov. Quinn providing funding so that the CTA could avoid fare hikes through 2011. Details of the deal haven't been announced - Quinn is expected to outline those in an afternoon press conference - but Greg Hinz at Crain's reports: more ›

Well, this perks us up on a Humpday. In spite of threats to the contrary throughout the first half of the year, the CTA announced today there will be no service cuts or fare hikes through the end of the year to help the agency close its budget gap. Good news for riders, indeed. Of course, there's still the issue of how exactly do they close that gap, the $190 million in funding cuts the CTA has undergone already this year, and what exactly will happen next year. But it is a bit of small relief to, for once, not have the Budget Doomsday card played. Um, right? [WBBM] more ›

In a refrain which is growing tiresome yet still just as worrisome, it seems the CTA is once again threatening service cuts ahead of an RTA vote. The vote, happening Thursday, would cut $61 million worth of services to make up for a drop in sales-tax revenue. If approved, overall cuts would breakdown to $35 million for the CTA, $19 million for Metra, and $7 million for PACE. CTA President Richard Rodriguez has warned that cuts would result in about a five percent reduction in service for every $10 million lost. There's no indication which specific services the CTA would be cut, but officials have said whole bus routes could be lost in addition to overall reduction in service. PACE will look to reduce services on routes with low ridership, focusing on late nights, early mornings, and weekends. As for Metra, officials for that agency seemed to be downright sunny in comparison, saying the cuts wouldn't result in lost services as the agency did not fill some vacant job posts and have held tight on spending. [Tribune] more ›

• Stop us if you've heard this one before: so the CTA is threatening fare hikes and service cuts...
• The City Council today voted to ban baby bottles and sip cups using the chemical BPA.
• Gov. Quinn is standing by his budget and insisting there's no more room for cuts.

Some CTA news has come across the wire in the last few days. First, the truly surreal. It seems our fair transit system was honored with "Most Improved Metro" at the 2009 Metro Awards, and international awards ceremony held in London. The category aims to award the "metro who has gone the extra mile in improving their metro network in the past year." So, um, the Grand Red Line station doesn't count? The website goes on to say: more ›