* Core earnings down 3 percent at 354.5 million euros
* Pace of traffic decline slows, traffic rises in Chicago
* Bottom line boosted by 95.3 million euro capital gains (Adds details)
MADRID, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Spanish toll road operator Cintra , controlled by Ferrovial, said the pace of decline in traffic on its main toll roads had slowed after posting a 3.4 percent fall in nine-month core earnings.
The company said highway traffic remained weak but the decline slowed in the second and third quarters. One bright spot was an increase in users of its Chicago Skyway.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) reached 354.5 million euros ($525.9 million), compared with the revised figure of 368 million for the same period in 2008, while revenue slipped 1.1 percent to 493.3 million, compared with a restated revenue of 498.8 million for the previous year.
Cintra's net profit surged to 77.4 million euros, compared with the revised figure of 2.4 million for the previous year, thanks to capital gains from the sale of its car parks division in July.
The company compared nine-month results with revised 2008 figures according to new accounting methods and to exclude its parking arm and motorway concessions that are being sold.
Cintra is in the process of merging with its parent Ferrovial and these are likely to be its last stand-alone results as a publicly listed company. ($1=.6740 Euro) (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Karen Foster)