The CTA unveiled a $2.16 billion budget for 2025 on Friday, as the agency outlined plans to boost service above prepandemic levels after years of struggling to provide frequent, reliable buses and trains.
The 2025 budget marks an increase of 8.1%, or nearly $161 million, over planned spending for 2024, CTA officials said, after a similarly substantial budget increase of 9.2% the prior year . The planned increase next year is partly because of increased labor costs, Chief Financial Officer Tom McKone said. The CTA and its labor unions agreed to 4% raises this summer, and adding service will add to labor costs, among other expenses, he said.
The CTA will not be raising fares in 2025.
The agency is relying on federal COVID-19 relief aid to balance its budget. The CTA, like the region’s other transit agencies, has used this money to plug budget holes since the pandemic, and in 2025 the agency said it will use $578.5 million.
But that leaves about $66 million for 2026, which will not be enough to cover the projected gap that year. The CTA and the region’s other transit agencies are projecting massive budget gaps that year and beyond — in the CTA’s case, a gap of nearly $539 million in 2026 and a $642.3 million budget hole in 2027.