Chicagoland Metra service comes with a sales tax, but Rockford's won't. Here's why
Metra would reach beyond its traditional six-county stomping grounds in 2027 to run trains from Rockford to Chicago under an agreement with Illinois, but Boone and Winnebago counties won't be asked to pay additional sales tax for it.
Communities in and around Chicago pay a sales tax to the Regional Transportation Authority to subsidize public transportation services including Metra, Pace and the CTA.
Although Metra is planning to provide two daily roundtrip trains between Rockford and Chicago with stops in Belvidere, Huntley and Elgin, Rockford's line would be part of an intercity train service and not part of Metra's traditional commuter service lines, Region 1 Planning Council Executive Director Mike Dunn Jr. explained.
Now boarding: Everything you need to know about Rockford's new Metra line to Chicago
"What we are talking about here, which gets confusing because Metra was chosen, is not true Metra commuter service," Dunn said.
"It's what is designated as intercity passenger rail service and nine times out of 10 it's something operated by Amtrak ... For Illinois to partner with Metra and bring them to our community is really innovative, and will help us as travelers connect into the Chicago Metra system."
As an intercity train, service is expected to be less frequent than a commuter line and have different pricing.
Officials including Gov. JB Pritzker who visited Rockford to announce Metra was chosen to provide passenger rail service between Rockford and Chicago for the first time since 1981, could not say how much tickets would cost or how much subsidy the Illinois Department of Transportation is expected to pay to cover operational shortfalls.
Fares are not enough to cover the cost of public transportation in the six-county Regional Transportation Authority area. In Chicago, people pay a 1.25% sales tax. In DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties people pay a 0.5% sales tax.
Illinois has set aside $275 million from the Rebuild Illinois capital plan to pay for restoration of passenger rail service. Although Metra owns the Milwaukee District West railroad line between Chicago and Elgin, the train would run on Union Pacific Railroad's freight line to Rockford.
Pritzker said there are no plans for a sales tax in Winnebago and Boone counties to pay for train service.
Instead, IDOT officials said the plan is for operations and maintenance not offset by fares to be paid out of the annual passenger rail operating appropriation. That is also the case for other state-supported intercity passenger rail service to Milwaukee, Quincy, St. Louis and Carbondale. It is not known how much will be needed to cover the costs.
Jeff Kolkey can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford will not be part of Metra commuter line, won't pay sales tax
