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At $3.6 billion, the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line extension to 130th Street will be, on a cost-per-ride basis, one of the most expensive rail transit projects in the world. It will siphon hundreds of millions of tax dollars out of Bronzeville, one of Chicago's most promising majority Black neighborhoods. Ridership is likely to be much less than projected.....Still, there's little choice but to proceed. The project is politically popular—I had difficulty getting anyone to comment about it on the record, although many acknowledged misgivings privately. It's too late to start over without jeopardizing billions of federal grant dollars available for a limited time."
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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Focusing on the cost is a worthwhile effort. But another topic not to be ignored is that the Redline has become a preferred route of access to Downtown and Michigan Ave by many thieves, muggers and other criminals. Many merchants along Michigan Avenue will tell you that much of the crime problem on the Mag Mile is caused by bad guys who commit a crime on the Mag Mile and flee on the Redline. The perps know the cops have a very slow response time so they can commit the crime and be gone before they risk arrest. Cops told… Read more »
The concept is meant to bring more people to downtown , but now the jobs have evaporated in the loop. this project should be STOPED
Author makes great points but misses the forest for the trees. He’s addressing the wrong arguments. Like he said, everyone knows the project is a waste of money from a transit perspective. But the red line extension isn’t about transit – it is about equity and union giveaways. This project is no different than China’s numerous empty cities and bridges to nowhere. It’s pure stupidity.
Exactly, it’s free gift to the unions
“costs too much and does too little” Can’t read the article, but my first thought was that describes the entirety of Chicago’s employees.
The article is posted at https://archive.ph/jrLVK One of the points it makes is that much better transit for the far south side can be provided, sooner and cheaper, by upgrading service on the existing Metra Electric line and integrating its fares with CTA. If the main goal was better transit for the area, that would be done.
Great link, thanks for that.
Little choice but to proceed only because the federal government is dumping the wealth of the nation into a failing city and state to keep the place afloat a few more years. Headline should read, “Criminals will be given 35 more blocks to ply their trade,”
The wealth is being transferred into the pockets of high paid union employees, of which large chunks will be donated back to local official’s campaign coffers. That’s what this is about. Meanwhile they can scream equity at the top of their lungs.
This project will cost billions and last a decade. This is one of those Chinese empty cities the government built to line the pockets of connected developers.
I am surprised at the down votes. Debtsor’s description of events is exactly what is happening in California with its high speed rail project. I have not come across anyone with a serious bent that can justify that project – even some progressive politicians now object to the project.