The CT Commuter Council, in response to a July 1^st Metro-North fare increase in CT, advised elected officials to establish a dedicated funding source for mass transit operations. Fares increased up to 15% on New Haven Line Metro-North trains.

Currently, transit operating monies come out of the general fund. While CT has a special fund for transportation capital projects, it does not have one for mass transit operations. The Tri-State Transportation Campaign, commuter groups, and environmental groups have long argued that without a dedicated funding source, fares in CT will continue to rise and new services will be very difficult to pay for. According to Jim Cameron of the CT Commuters Council, CT Metro-North riders currently pay the highest percentage of operating revenue of any commuter railroad in the country. He said the state expects residents to pay 75% of the cost of the service, compared with 51% for Long Island Railroad and 30% for other commuter lines in the nation. "Don’t yell at the conductor or the ticket seller, yell at your lawmakers," Cameron told the New Haven Register this week. "Other states subsidize mass transit to encourage people to take the train."

According to the New Haven Register, Governor Rowland’s budget proposed a $70 million annual operating subsidy for Metro-North and Shore Line East. The total operating cost of the system is $82 million, which means $12 million has to be made up by fare increases or service cuts. 

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