By Fran Spielman
CITY HALL REPORTER

Date of Publication: September 28, 1999
Source: Chicago Sun-Times

The CTA will hold the line on fares next year in hopes of building on two straight years of ridership gains that reversed a 15-year customer exodus, Board Chairman Valerie Jarrett said Monday.

And after a "disastrous" breakdown of rapid transit service during the January 1999 snowstorm, Jarrett said, the CTA is well-positioned to avoid a repeat performance this year.

Aging rapid transit cars prone to winter breakdowns because their undercarriages are exposed to snow are being equipped with "solid steel" coverings at a rate of 14 per month, the chairman said. Work on 80 cars is completed. By year's end, 130 of the 598 older cars will be ready.

Customer service representatives also will be on L platforms around the city so information can be communicated to the control center to adjust service quickly, Jarrett said.

Even with the emergency repairs, 468 L cars will remain in a "fragile" state, Jarrett said.

The decision to rule out a fare increase from the current $1.50 fare was disclosed after the City Council's Transportation Committee approved Mayor Daley's appointment of Jarrett to another seven-year term.