The Metra Board voted to approve a pay raise for their CEO Donald Orseno Wednesday, a month after the rail agency’s third fare hike in the last three years.
In the unanimous vote, board members said the 32-year Metra veteran was underpaid compared to other rail industry executives.
Orseno’s $28,000 raise will bump his salary from $289,000 to $317,500 annually.
Metra board chairman Norman Carlson told the Chicago Tribune Orseno often works more than 60 hours a week and is “earning less than his counterparts on the east and west coasts," despite having higher qualifications and more experience.
New York's suburban Metro-North railway president earns $338,692 per year, the Chicago Tribune reports, while the highest-ranking executive at California's Metrolink rail system makes $330,000 annually.
In November the board voted in favor of its third fare increase for commuters in as many years. The hike, approved with a 9-1 vote, was part of a $1.06 billion 2017 budget proposal introduced last month, which included a nearly 6 percent increase for riders. It’s also part of a larger plan put in place last year that would increase fares every year 10 years.
“No one likes to pay higher fares, but unfortunately we can’t ignore our need for more money to invest on our system,” Orseno said in a statement at the time. “We hope our customers understand that we are trying to address a serious capital funding shortfall as best we can.”
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The latest hike will raise the cost of a monthly pass by $11.75, a 10-ride by $2.75 and a one-way ticket by .25 cents. The price change is expected to take effect early next year.
Metra says the higher fares will allow for modernization and upgrades that will ultimately reduce delays on its lines. It will also help pay for a federally mandated system used to avoid and prevent trains from colliding, Metra officials said.
