CHICAGO (WLS) -- Metra will hold a virtual public hearing from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday regarding its $700 million budget proposal for next year.
RELATED: Metra Union Pacific trains resume ticket verification
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The public can weigh in on the budget. It does not call for fare increases or service cuts, but Metra will need to procure $70 million in funding.
In October, Union Pacific still did not feel it was safe to send conductors through train aisles and punch tickets during the COVID-19 pandemic. That reportedly cost a million dollars of lost revenue every month. Back in September, Metra began operating at 10% ridership, with 25,000 passengers a day. Before the pandemic, an average of more than 181,000 riders were using Metra on a given day, according to officials.
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