A Private Express Train Could Soon Take You From The Loop to O'Hare in 15 Minutes

A team of Chicago transit and civic veterans unveiled the O'Hare Flyer this week, a battery-electric express train that would run nonstop between a new downtown station and Chicago (ORD)'s Terminal 2 in just 15 minutes.

Trains would leave every 15 minutes at an average speed of 80 mph, with four trainsets running daily from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. The downtown terminus would sit just west of the Old Post Office, using long-abandoned tracks under Canal Street.

The founders say this is possible because of newly freed-up freight land at a Union Pacific yard on the Near West Side — which lets them stitch together CSX, UP, and Canadian National rights-of-way into a dedicated route with minimal new construction. Trains would run mostly on a single track, with six miles of double track midway so they can pass, plus a 90-foot flyover at O'Hare clearing the taxiways above I-190.

The company has a tentative agreement with CSX and says it has a path to yes with the other two railroads. Cost is $2.25 billion, mainly commercially funded, with preliminary construction possibly starting next year and a five-year build. Of course, this is all pending city approval.

Fares haven't been set. The company says a ticket will cost more than the CTA Blue Line and less than an Uber or Lyft, which typically runs north of $50 to the airport. The airport platform would span the length of ORD's Terminal 2.

Andrew's Take

Chicago has picked a winner for this before — in 2018 it was Elon Musk's tunnel. What's different here is that nobody's asking for public money. However, one detail I'd watch is the 10 p.m. shutdown: the Blue Line runs around the clock, and Terminal 5 customs lines that stretch past two hours mean even a 9 p.m. landing can miss the last train to the Loop.