“I am pleased with the continued progress and positive trends that CTA continues to make, but we still have work to do to provide the service that I believe our customers deserve and expect. The CTA’s proposed 2024 budget puts a high premium on providing the highest levels of service, customer comfort, modernization and equity. And I am committed to returning more scheduled service to our bus and rail systems in 2024.”
– CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr.
For fiscal year 2024, the CTA is proposing a $1.99 billion operating budget that keeps fares at their current levels, maintains the delivery of bus and rail services, with plans to add additional service to meet growing ridership demand—all while continuing to make important investments to upgrade and modernize the system.
The proposed spending budget reflects a 9.2 percent increase (or $168.2 million) over the previous year’s budget and supports CTA’s ongoing workforce initiatives for hiring and retaining key operations personnel, while also introducing several new measures that will help improve the overall customer experience with enhanced security and improved Ventra fare system features. This includes a new ChatBot for improved customer service, ongoing work with our transit partners at Metra, Pace and RTA to deliver innovative fare products, plus a new, dedicated program that will provide pre-loaded Ventra Cards to victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
The continued strengthening of CTA’s workforce is critical to further improving the delivery of its services. Overall, CTA is projecting to hire more than 2,000 new employees for the current year, also far exceeding the 1,200 annual hiring norm. CTA will continue to plan, monitor, and respond to the shifting employment landscape to meet its people and service needs. As such, CTA anticipates continued optimization of its service schedules to reflect its growing workforce–additional service is expected to be added in 2024.
The proposed $3.6 billion Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan for 2024-2028 includes funding for critical transit improvement projects that are underway or set to begin in 2024:
- All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP): A total of 14 rail stations are now fully-funded for future accessibility modernization construction work. Of these stations, five are currently under construction, three are in design and five are in various stages of planning. In addition to station improvements, CTA has $37M in funding for elevator replacements and/or modernizations of existing elevators across the system-up to 16 elevators.
- Bus System Electrification: Funds allocated for the full-electrification of the 103rd Garage, plus an allocation of funding for the ongoing Chicago Garage implementation.
- Rail Fleet Modernization: Increased production of the 7000-series railcars – CTA’s newest generation of rail vehicles. Plus, ongoing quarter-life overhauls of the agency’s 5000-series
- Refresh & Renew: Expansion of this annual facilities improvement program to include more CTA employee workplaces, while continuing to focus on rail station repairs and enhancements.
The President's 2024 Budget Recommendations book provides an overview of the proposed operating and capital budgets, plus key initiatives highlighted in an easy-to-read manner with accompanying charts and graphs. In addition, historical and reference data is presented in a detailed appendix section.
2024 Budget Recommendations
2024 Budget Recommendations (accessible text version)