A group of business and civic leaders in Chicago unveiled plans to implement the first airport express train in the United States, transporting travelers from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to downtown in minutes.
The O’Hare Flyer will connect the airport’s Terminal 2 to downtown Chicago on a dedicated track with a reliable schedule, officials said. The whisper quiet train would depart from both stations every 15 minutes, and make the one-way trip in just 15 minutes.
“O’Hare Flyer will connect our world class downtown with our world class airport in fifteen minutes,” O’Hare Flyer Founder and CEO Dave Lundy said. “This is a first-of-its-kind express train in the U.S. and will give Chicago a safe, reliable, world-class rider experience on a fast, whisper-quiet battery-electric train.”
Officials said the express train would provide “concierge-level service on clean trains with comfortable seats and luggage racks in every car.” The train will also run on a continuous rail and will recharge at O’Hare, as well as at its downtown station near the Old Post Office.
“This is an important first for Chicago and for the country. O’Hare Flyer will build on Chicago’s heritage as America’s rail capital and center of innovation,” O’Hare Flyer Founder and Chief Engineering Officer Mark Walbrun said. “By combining three existing but underused freight rights-of-way into a dedicated express rail service, we will create the best airport transportation experience in America – and one of the best in the world.”
The express train is being developed by Chicagoans, the group said, and has been in its exploratory developments for the past three years. O’Hare Flyer will run on freight rail right-of-way owned by three class one railroads: CSX, Canadian National (CN) and Union Pacific (UP). The O’Hare Flyer has reached agreement on terms, memorialized in a Letter of Intent (LOI) with CSX and is moving forward with the other carriers as well.