[Pedestrian]

By William A. Galston
Nov. 28, 2017 6:52 p.m. ET

A lengthy exposé in the New York Times documented the consequences of shortsighted financial practices for the New York subways. Over the past two decades, maintenance investment stagnated as ridership nearly doubled. Efforts to add new lines have been stymied by construction costs five times the international average. Corrected for inflation, the city’s contribution to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority fell 75% since 1990 . . . .

But . . . in Chicago, which reports on-time performance of 96% and customer satisfaction in excess of 90%. Future-oriented investments have made all the difference. Since 2011, a third of existing rail lines and stations have been refurbished, three new stations have been built, and Chicago became the first city in the country to offer 4G service throughout its subway system.

Despite a cut in state funding, the Chicago Transit Authority’s 2018 operating budget will be in balance for the seventh consecutive year. On the heels of an $8 billion investment drive since 2011, the CTA is proposing a five-year capital budget of $2.7 billion.

The Windy City hasn’t achieved this level of performance without sacrifice. To fill the hole created by state budget cuts, the CTA raised fares for the first time in eight years. To finance an added $180 million in capital spending, Mayor Rahm Emanuel crafted a first-in-the-nation fee on ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft. The proceeds will be used to upgrade security at all CTA stations and reduce average trip times by up to 6 minutes . . . .

https://www.wsj.com/articles/where-c...ity-1511913175