Striving to emulate the airline-to-rail links in London and Hong Kong, the CTA is seeking a consultant to develop a business model to operate premium express trains from downtown to O’Hare and Midway.
The “L” cars wouldn’t race along at 260 m.p.h. like the airport trains in Shanghai, but non-stop trains would cut the current 45-minute ride from the Loop to O’Hare to about 20 minutes, transit officials said Thursday. The existing 25-minute trip to Midway would be made in at least half that time.
Riders would pay $10 to $15 for the faster service on the Blue Line to O’Hare and the Orange Line to Midway, according to early CTA estimates. Bypass tracks would be built to enable the express trains to go around all-stop trains.
Passenger amenities would include express ticketing and advance baggage check-in at airline counters inside the proposed transit transfer “superstation” at Block 37 in the center of the Loop. Plans also call for more comfortable trains, equipped with storage racks.
The station would cost more than $213 million. Final negotiations are in the works between the city and Mills Corp., which would build the station below residential, office and hotel towers on Block 37, bound by State, Randolph, Dearborn and Washington Streets.
The CTA is advertising for bids by consulting firms to flesh out the airport-express concept and create a business plan that includes recommended fare structures, train schedules, financing and other operating details, CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said.
CTA officials declined to provide cost estimates to avoid influencing the bids.
CTA President Frank Kruesi said the airport-express system is a high priority for the agency, despite a current operating deficit that could lead to deep service cuts as early as July.
“The preliminary forecasts indicate this project would generate operating revenue from the farebox that is greater than the costs,” Gaffney said. Most transit operations require a subsidy.
“Other cities are paying big bucks to build the kind of airport rail service that Chicago already has at its two airports. We are trying to make our service faster and more competitive” with automobiles and taxi cabs, especially during rush periods, Gaffney added.
The entire superstation and airport-express train plan is contingent on funding. It would be paid for through a combination of federal grants, city and CTA contributions, bonding and private investment.
