Letter: RTA to Rockford will cost taxpayers millions

Local officials are celebrating the RTA’s planned Rockford line.

Here are relevant facts concerning that line.

Amortize the $275 million budgeted cost over 30 years and the annual cost is $15.75 million.

Add operating costs based on Metra’s historical performance, and the total annual cost of the proposed new service will probably be at least $25 million per year.

Van Galder already offers 12 bus trips every day from Rockford to the Loop for $27.30. The new Metra service will offer two trips per day to the Loop.

The RTA will have to offer prices competitive with Van Galder. Therefore, to break even, demand needs to equal 916,000 rides per year ($25 million in operating costs divided by $27.30 per ticket).

The distance from Chicago to Milwaukee is roughly the same as from the Chicago to Rockford. The Milwaukee MSA has a population of a bit over 2 million. The Rockford MSA has a population of about 335,000, or one-sixth that of the Milwaukee MSA. Ridership on Amtrak’s Hiawatha line was about 240,000 in 2021, so one might expect Rockford to generate about 40,000 rides per year.

That’s a little over $1 million a year in revenue for a $24 million loss, or a subsidy of about $600 per ride.

And Illinois taxpayers will be paying for this. Every year.

Northwest Herald reporters: Please ask local officials why they support this project, given the likely massive cost to taxpayers. Ask them to refute these numbers.

Steve Willson

Huntley