CTA budget falls short $8.4 million

The cash-strapped CTA will announce today that it faces at least an$8.4 million hole in its 1996 budget because a new automatic farecollection system is behind schedule, the Chicago Sun-Times haslearned.

New CTA president David Mosena says the fare collection systemslated for a Sept. 1 debut won't be fully operational this year. Theloss of $8.4 million in anticipated savings from the new system -money already budgeted for other uses - is just one of the shortfallsto be discussed at today's CTA board meeting, he said.

"The whole project has fallen behind schedule," because ofsoftware, equipment delivery and construction problems," Mosena said.

With the new …