A group of Chicago business and civic leaders unveiled plans August 25 for the O'Hare Flyer, a privately funded express train connecting Downtown Chicago to O'Hare's Terminal 2 in 15 minutes, with departures every 15 minutes.
Backers are calling it the first airport express train in the country.
Under the Hood:
Battery-electric trains on continuous rail
Recharging stations near the Old Post Office downtown and at Terminal 2
Route built from three underused freight rights of way owned by CSX, Canadian National, and Union Pacific
Terms locked in with CSX through a letter of intent; talks with the other two carriers are ongoing
Who's Paying for This:
No government subsidies are involved. The project says it's intentionally staying out of funding pools that could otherwise go to the CTA or Metra.
Hard Hats Welcome:
For the trades, the labor piece is the real story. The team signed an MOU with the Chicago and Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council, working toward a full Project Labor Agreement. Local contractors and a unionized workforce are part of the commitment.
Three years of groundwork already went into lining up engineering, legal, architecture, and planning firms, most based in Chicago, along with two Big Four consulting shops.
The Clock's Running:
The target launch window is five years. Expect a long run of meetings with public officials, business groups, and community stakeholders before any track work starts.
A 15 minute ride sounds simple. Getting three separate freight railroads to agree on one shared passenger schedule is the part that will actually decide the timeline.
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