OK, if we've added 150,000 jobs downtown in the last 10 years, why have CTA and Metra ridership fallen over that same period?
CTA:
https://www.civicfed.org/sites/defau...railtrends.png
Metra:
https://metrarail.com/sites/default/...standalone.pdf (Page 2)
It the jobs numbers are true (I don't doubt there was growth, but seems suspect to me that the country's 2nd largest CBD grew by 33% in just one decade) then it suggests people are finding ways to get to work that don't involve transit. That doesn't mean they're driving, either - plenty of people use rideshare, bike, Divvy, walk to work, etc.
We have also not seen a large expansion in parking supply downtown that would enable people to drive. If anything, the parking supply's been going down due to redevelopment.
The region has a lot of challenges, and improving commutes for rich downtown workers isn't near the top of anyone's list. To the extent that regional leaders care about transportation, it is focused on solving other problems. CTA's president wants to build flashy projects on the South Side to bring jobs and investment. Toni Preckwinkle wants to make the existing transit system more equitable and usable on the South Side. Lori Lightfoot doesn't seem to care about transportation issues. Suburban leaders want road widenings or extensions of Metra into the cornfields. The governor does not have a strong vision for transportation beyond shoveling more money into roads. Etc etc. Who will champion this?
Actually Toni Preckwinkle did support Transit Future a few years back which was exactly this kind of proposal, even if it kind of withered... as much as I find her a deeply weird person (unsettling even) she might be the person who could champion a big transit initiative. BUT no way that happens while her mortal enemy Lightfoot is mayor. Maybe we should recruit Phil Washington to move back to Chicago and run for mayor...