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11/23/2020
The Chicago Transit Board last week approved the Chicago Transit Authority’s $1.64 billion operating budget for 2021 and a $3.4 billion five-year capital improvement program (CIP).
For 2021, the CTA is facing a $375 million operating budget deficit caused by loss of ridership and revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although CTA will enter 2021 with no planned changes to service or fares, the agency will depend on continued federal funding support to achieve that goal, agency officials said in a press release.
The approved CIP will fund modernization and capital improvement projects, including the Red Line Extension ($327.8 million), station accessibility improvements ($78 million), Cottage Grove Green Line station upgrades ($60 million) and Blue Line O’Hare Branch power improvements ($50 million).
The CIP is supported by funding from Rebuild Illinois, the state's capital program passed in 2019.
Other capital projects to continue or begin in 2021 include the testing of 10 new 7000-series rail cars, overhaul work on 5000-series rail cars, and the start of station and track construction on the Red and Purple lines.