One L of a Good Year for CTA

Posted by Sheila Redick on January 31, 2006

Count on the Chicago Sun-Times for a good headline.

Yesterday's edition brought the news that ridership on Chicago's L system and its buses was up 4.5 percent, giving CTA its highest ridership since 1992. The increase in weekend trips was even stronger, up 7 percent over 2004. Rides totalled 492.4 million in 2005, about 1.5 million a day. By comparison, the nation's top 123 transit agencies posted a 1.4 percent average ridership gain.

CTA officials credited the gains to improvements in service (including station renovations and more frequent service on some lines) and long commute times by auto. (Chicago area residents have the second longest average commute in the nation at 33.2 minutes.)