How Transit agencies are resisting fiscal cliffs and doom spirals

[marmar]

Op-Ed: How Transit agencies are resisting fiscal cliffs and doom spirals
As COVID-19 relief funds run out, transit agencies across the U.S. are coming to the edge of a fiscal cliff and scrambling to avoid a doom spiral that would decimate rail services in cities like Chicago and Miami.

KellyAnne Gallagher
July 11, 2025
5 min read




As COVID-19 relief funds run out, transit agencies across the U.S. are coming to the edge of a fiscal cliff and scrambling to avoid a doom spiral that would decimate rail services in cities like Chicago and Miami.

In a doom spiral scenario, budget and service cuts lead riders to choose alternative modes of transportation, often cramming back into car traffic, which in turn leads to further service cuts. Of course, the damage likely wouldn’t stop there. If employees fed up with an endless commute relocate to other cities, businesses and tax dollars follow and the entire metro area stagnates as a result.

....(snip)....

In South Florida, Dech is facing a fiscal cliff in local and state funding in addition to federal relief from the COVID-19 pandemic running out. The funding that Dech’s commuter railroad receives from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has been frozen at the same level for years, with no adjustments for inflation. The state has long wanted the local counties in SFRTA’s service area to pay a larger share of the railroad’s costs. Now, Florida wants those counties to pay the entire cost.

....(snip)....

In the absence of federal support, fixing the funding woes will require a concerted effort from the agencies and local and state lawmakers. Metra and SFRTA are presenting a variety of solutions to their backers, including special tax districts around the railroad, wholesale property taxes, cell phone taxes, rental car taxes or sales taxes dedicated to transit. Rail leaders want to be able to make long-term plans around maintenance and new equipment rather than continue to live hand-to-mouth. ...................(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/blog/55302200/op-ed-how-transit-agencies-are-resisting-fiscal-cliffs-and-doom-spirals