The O’Hare Express Rail Service is intended to provide commuters with a convenient transit option to travel directly from O’Hare International Airport to downtown.
Next month, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) will select an engineering team to analyse and develop conceptual designs as well as an overall timeline for the project. The city recently sought proposals; three have already been received and will be evaluated based on a “best value” approach to ensure the most viable route for the express rail and technology.
“O’Hare is an essential economic engine for the City of Chicago. By providing passengers with a faster, smarter, and more efficient way to connect between O’Hare and downtown, we will take it to the next level,” said Mayor Emanuel. “As we modernise O’Hare to make Chicago even more competitive in the 21st century economy, my goal is to make it not just the busiest but also the best airport in the world. This new express service is an important step toward achieving that goal.”
Previous attempts to create an express rail service from O’Hare and downtown focused on using existing, busy stations, which prevented the plans from being feasible. Understanding these limitations, CDA is now asking vendors to focus its attention on other ways to build the rail service while avoiding previously identified obstacles.
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