O’Hare Flyer ‘not seeking government subsidies’ (via The Center Square) – A private group has proposed express rail service between O’Hare International Airport and downtown Chicago but cost, infrastructure and safety questions remain unanswered.
Developers behind the O’Hare Flyer say the group includes experienced railroad executives, business leaders and civic leaders, engineers and service providers.
The group said in a news release issued on Tuesday it is not seeking government subsidies or funding that could otherwise go to regional transit agencies, but it is raising equity and debt capital and will partner with local labor unions and diverse partners.
The service would provide 15-minute rides on continuous rail between O’Hare’s Terminal 2 and a downtown station near the Old Post Office, at a cost “significantly less” than a rideshare or taxi.
“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,” O’Hare Flyer founder and CEO Dave Lundy said.
The trains would use existing right-of-way freight rail corridors owned by CSX, Canadian National and Union Pacific.
The group reached an agreement with CSX. A CN spokesperson said the company is in discussions with the O’Hare Flyer team.
“Discussions are ongoing, and we are not in a position to comment further at this time,” CN spokesperson Ashley Michnowski said in a statement to The Center Square.
Rail service between O’Hare and downtown is currently available on the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line.
Last December, the Federal Transit Administration threatened to withhold up to $50 million in funding unless the CTA submitted a more aggressive security enhancement plan. The FTA said at the time that the rate of assaults against transit workers on CTA rail and bus service exceeded the national average of comparable transit agencies every year since fiscal year 2015.
The O’Hare Flyer group did not say how it planned to handle security and public safety.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said the new proposal is a healthy response to the Chicago he says he is trying to build.
“I welcome all forms of innovation. We’ll take a closer look at it. I believe it sends a strong signal that corporate entities are very much prepared to bet on Chicago, which is a good bet,” Johnson said during a press briefing at City Hall on Tuesday.
The mayor said the project is an indication of the confidence private equity has in his administration.
“I’m encouraged by, at the very least, that this is also a proposal that is speaking to environmental justice as well,” Johnson said, calling it a “welcome advancement” after he reestablished the Chicago Department of Environment.
“Using more forms of green technology to protect our atmosphere, and then do it in a way in which we can create jobs and move people through our city quicker,” Johnson said.
The O’Hare Flyer group said it has begun discussions with public officials and other groups and hopes to launch the project within the next five years.
O’Hare Flyer ‘not seeking government subsidies’
