CTA has released its “doomsday” budget, appropriately named the “gridlock budget.” $55 million in service, cutting rail service by 11% and bus service by 21%. All rail lines and most bus routes would be affected; service after 10pm would largely vanish. As CTA puts it, “service standards would be suspended,” which is code for “expect craptabulous service!”

Some quick points:
– In the first year, transit usage will decline by at least 39 million rides — equivalent to shutting down the entire Pace suburban bus system.
– By 2007, CTA will carry 59 million fewer riders. This is the equivalent to shutting down Denver’s Regional Transit District, the nation’s, or the PATH system, the nation’s 7th largest heavy rail system.
– Paratransit fares in any case will double. Predictably, this has already raised outcries from disabled riders, who seem to not comprehend that the service costs an average of $26 per ride but receives zero operating subsidy.

More details from the media: Tribune 4 October and 5 October, WBEZ 5 October. The choice quote from the Trib: “It’s very frustrating [Kruesi] has taken this approach, instead of asking the community to work with him. The CTA has known for years there is a funding problem. Why is it now coming to a point where the riders are being hijacked?” — Maurice Redd, executive director of the Lawndale Neighborhood Organization

However, Jacqueline Leavy from NCBG claims (of course) that the service cuts are biased: “55% of the bus cuts will affect communities of color.” Well, sure, but that’s because “communities of color” are about 2/3 of the city, and account for many of the city’s lower population density, lower ridership neighborhoods. Indeed, the cuts disproportionately hit the far northwest side — the last bastion of white ethnics in Chicago — which will largely be ceded to Pace. Similarly, bus bunching is easy to complain about but a whole lot harder to actually fix.

Strangely, the story merited a Page 3 mention in the Sun-Times and no mention in either Red Streak or Crain’s web edition. Strange, because the Sun-Times’ readership relies heavily on CTA to get to work and because Crain’s readers rely on CTA to get their employees to work. Late-shift work (the original reason for the extensive 24-hour network) didn’t die with manufacturing: waiters and bartenders, currency traders, and red-eye flight attendants are all integral cogs that keep the global city working.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is also threatened with severe service cuts — no weekend service, no nighttime service, a 43% base fare increase — if Pennsylvania doesn’t come through with extra funding.