Chicago Unveils a $2.25 Billion Fifteen-Minute O’Hare Express Train

Chicago leaders have unveiled plans for the O’Hare Flyer, a battery-electric express train intended to run between downtown and O’Hare International Airport in fifteen minutes. Announced on 25 August, the $2.25 billion project would be the first service of its kind in the United States, and its backers say it could be operating within five years. The trains would run on a dedicated track at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour, with departures every fifteen minutes.

The route would connect O’Hare’s Terminal 2 with a newly built depot near Van Buren and Canal streets in the South Loop, close to Union Station. Rather than building an entirely new corridor, the plan uses existing freight rail routes owned by CSX, Canadian National and Union Pacific. Organisers say they have reached agreement on terms with CSX. Freight access is usually the hardest part of a project like this, because railroads guard capacity on busy corridors closely, so a deal with one owner is a meaningful step.

The financing is the detail that separates this proposal from its predecessors. The project is privately financed and is not seeking government subsidy, with backing from private investors. Chicago has been here before: an earlier express rail scheme collapsed after failing to reach a workable arrangement, and the city has a long history of airport rail proposals that never left the drawing board. Removing the need for public capital removes one of the obstacles that sank previous attempts, though not the engineering or regulatory ones.

Fifteen minutes would be a substantial improvement on the existing option. The CTA Blue Line already runs to O’Hare and is inexpensive, but the journey takes around 45 minutes with frequent stops. Cities with fast, reliable airport rail links, such as Hong Kong and London, tend to see business travellers abandon taxis and ride-hailing entirely. Whether that happens in Chicago depends on fares, which have not been announced, and on the project actually being built. Fares on comparable services abroad tend to sit well above ordinary transit pricing, reflecting the premium placed on a guaranteed journey time.

Sources: Crain’s Chicago Business, Axios Chicago