Transit Briefs: CTA, TEXRail

While customer satisfaction surveys show that “we’re making measurable progress in many areas,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said, “clearly there is more work we need to do. I’m absolutely committed to that.” (CTA Photograph Courtesy of FTA)

Service satisfaction for Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) customers was up in 2023. Also, TEXRail has celebrated five years of commuter service between Fort Worth and DFW Airport in Texas.

CTA

CTA on Jan. 11 reported that customer satisfaction with service increased throughout 2023, though it was below pre-COVID levels in many important areas, according to surveys the transit authority administered. Quarterly survey questions focused on customer habits and preferences; respondents were recruited online via email, via car card on the system, and limited flyers at stops and stations, CTA said. Surveys were available in English and Spanish, and more recently in Polish.

Since launching the Meeting the Moment Action Plan in August 2022, “all key performance indicators for bus and rail service have shown measurable improvement in customer satisfaction across six quarterly surveys, including the most recent survey conducted in October and November,” according to CTA.

Across the surveys, respondents reported that the top factors influencing the choice to ride CTA more include if service came more frequently, if real-time arrival information for buses was more accurate, and if buses were faster and more reliable. CTA said it has responded to these concerns by making “significant updates” to the bus and rapid transit train trackers and by working to “realign scheduled service to the available workforce to boost service reliability.”

Bus customers reported the largest increases in customer satisfaction with regard to service frequency (58% satisfied, 17 points), reliability of bus service (54% satisfied, 10 points), and accuracy of bus tracker information (57% satisfied, 12 points), according to the transit authority. Accuracy of real-time arrival information for trains also increased significantly (73% satisfied, 11 points), it noted. Additional upgrades to bus and train trackers and increases to weekday and weekend service frequency across bus and rail are planned for 2024.

Respondents to the quarterly surveys also reported that “better security on board was a top factor influencing their satisfaction and riding frequency,” according to CTA, which said that the Chicago Police Department and security personnel have an increased presence at stations and the Chicago Department of Family & Support Services has provided additional outreach to unhoused individuals. While customers’ satisfaction with personal security at the train station (60% satisfied, 13 points) had the highest increase of all rail metrics, CTA said personal security on the train (49% satisfied, 7 points) saw smaller gains, indicating that continued efforts are needed.

Eighty percent of respondents reported that they are “satisfied or very satisfied” with the value of service for fare paid, 11 points higher than pre-COVID satisfaction levels (69% satisfied in 2018), according to CTA, which attributed the increase in large part to recent efforts to reduce the price of all CTA-Pace bus pass products; the elimination of the transfer fee between CTA services; and better integration between CTA, Pace bus and Metra commuter rail fare products implemented since the start of COVID.

CTA said the recent increases in customer satisfaction align with other metrics that CTA tracks regarding rider satisfaction and agency performance, including:

• Increased Ridership: More than 900,000 rides are provided on an average weekday, with more than 25 days of one million-plus ridership in 2023.
• Service Reliability: Both rail and bus service has become more consistent, with fewer long waits. In November, CTA provided 92% of scheduled rail service and 99.4% of scheduled bus service.
• Security: Crime was down in 2023, with overall crime down 5% compared with 2022.

CTA said it plans to continue rider surveys in 2024.

“These surveys, which we have been doing every quarter since summer 2022, show that we’re making measurable progress in many areas,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr.  said. “But clearly there is more work we need to do. I’m absolutely committed to that—our work is not done, and we are focused on further improving the experience for all our customers.”

TEXRail

Trinity Metro’s TEXRail marked five years of service Jan. 10 allowing customers to ride free. The 27-mile commuter rail line, which opened in 2019, runs eight trains between Fort Worth and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B. The route has nine stations in Fort Worth, North Richland Hills and Grapevine.

TEXRail line construction began in August 2016, and the $996 million project was funded with the aid of a $44.9-million Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration. Fort Worth Transportation Authority awarded Stadler a $106.7 million contract in June 2015 to supply eight four-car Flirt 3 DMUs, which were assembled at Stadler’s plant in Salt Lake City, Utah. Each 266-foot-long articulated train accommodates 488 passengers, 229 of them seated, with four sets of doors on each side. Signaling, telecommunications, and a command and control center were supplied by Wabtec under a $97 million deal signed in early 2017.

According to TEXRail, there have been nearly 2.5 million riders since service began (through December 2023). In 2023, the highest single day of ridership was Nov. 20 with 6,625, and two of the highest ridership months were November with 83,071 rides (up 67% over November 2022) and December with 82,492 rides (up 34% over December 2022). Every month in Fiscal Year 2023 (October 2002-September 2023) had higher ridership than the same months the previous year, TEXRail reported.

“Our ridership growth shows how much TEXRail means to the community and to visitors,” said Reed Lanham, who recently joined Trinity Metro as Vice President of Rail. “TEXRail is a safe and reliable service with an outstanding on-time performance. Customers can rely on us for a consistently positive experience.”

TEXRail also reported having “a tremendous economic impact” on the communities it serves. By North Richland Hills/Iron Horse Station and North Richland Hills/Smithfield Station, there has been $137 million in transit-oriented development, including residential and commercial developments. In Grapevine, $105 million in transit-oriented development included Hotel Vin, Harvest Hall and a public parking garage. According to TEXRail, Grapevine has seen increases in hotel occupancy, beverage and retail sales taxes since it launched. Sales tax revenue has grown nearly 40% for businesses located within a five-minute walk to TEXRail’s Grapevine/Main Street Station, it pointed out, with sales tax revenue up more than 30% within a 10-minute walk.

“The impact of TEXRail is undeniable,” said Paul Slechta, Grapevine Council Member and Trinity Metro Board Member. “The collaboration between Grapevine and Trinity Metro yields significant ridership every time the city has an event.”

“Integrating public transportation into communities yields positive results in so many ways,” Reed Lanham said. “I’m proud of the impact that TEXRail has had, and I look forward to many years of continued growth to benefits the families and residents of Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, Grapevine and all of Tarrant County.”