Chicago's transit ridership dipped in 2013

The Chicago region's transit ridership declined in 2013 compared with 2012, when ridership reached its highest level since 1990, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) reported late last week.

Ridership totaled 659 million in 2012, but slipped in 2013 due in part to the six-month closure of the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) Red Line South, a CTA fare increase and an unusually severe winter, RTA officials said in its annual regional transit performance report.

The report concluded that overall transit performance — ridership and financial — reflected positive five-year trends, particularly in the areas of ridership and operating costs. Capital funding continues to present "the most pressing challenge" to each of the service boards that serve the region. New capital funding has decreased by 29 percent over the past decade, according to the report.

In the five-year period, CTA rail ridership grew 13 percent. Metra's fare recovery ratio, the amount of operating costs covered by fare revenue, increased to 46.6 percent in 2013 from 43 percent in 2009, the report noted.

"The findings of these two reports demonstrate that the service boards are performing well given challenging funding circumstances, especially the critical need for sustained, adequate capital funds to maintain the transit system infrastructure," said Leanne Redden, who was just appointed executive director by the RTA after serving as acting director since March 1.

More on the region's transit results can be found here.