Private Group Proposes US$2.25bn O’Hare–Downtown Chicago Express Train

CHICAGO — A private development group has proposed a US$2.25bn battery-electric train that it says could connect downtown Chicago with Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in 15 minutes.

The O’Hare Flyer would run nonstop between a new station near the Old Post Office and a platform at Terminal 2, with departures every 15 minutes. The developer unveiled the plan on Tuesday, but the announcement did not amount to city approval, a construction commitment, or a funded opening schedule.

O’Hare Flyer says the service would use dedicated track across rights-of-way owned by CSX, Canadian National, and Union Pacific. It has reached terms recorded in a letter of intent with CSX, while negotiations with the other two railroads are still in progress.

That leaves the proposal dependent on railroad agreements, public approvals, detailed design, community engagement, and private financing. A fare and rolling-stock supplier also have not been set.

How the Proposed O’Hare Flyer Would Work

The downtown station would sit west of the Old Post Office, using disused rail infrastructure beneath Canal Street. According to details reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, trains would first run south, turn west near Roosevelt Road, and then follow CSX and Union Pacific corridors before turning north on Canadian National property toward O’Hare.

The roughly 20-mile alignment would be single-track for most of its length, with six miles of double track allowing opposing trains to pass. Near O’Hare, the plan calls for a 90ft track flyover by the two aircraft taxiway bridges crossing Interstate 190 before trains reach a Terminal 2 platform.

Project Chief Executive Officer Dave Lundy told the Sun-Times that four trains would operate at once from 04:00 to 22:00. The trains would average about 80mph and recharge at both terminals. Each car would have luggage racks, while the airport station would provide access to Terminals 1 and 3 and a connection toward Terminal 5 on O’Hare’s Airport Transit System.

Those are design objectives rather than an operating specification. The reviewed announcement does not identify train capacity, a manufacturer, battery range, charging time, a maintenance site, or how the mostly single-track railway would recover from disruption while preserving a 15-minute frequency.

Faster Than the Blue Line, With a Different Role

The Chicago Transit Authority’s existing Blue Line connects O’Hare directly with downtown in about 40 to 45 minutes and operates 24 hours a day. Its trains make intermediate stops and continue through the city to Forest Park, serving airport employees and local passengers as well as air travelers.

The O’Hare Flyer would instead be a premium, point-to-point service focused on airport passengers. Lundy said its fare would be higher than the Blue Line but lower than a ride-hailing trip. The developer has not published a price.

O’Hare also has a Metra station on the North Central Service, but passengers reach the O’Hare Transfer stop through the airport’s Multi-Modal Facility rather than a platform at the passenger terminals. Metra’s service is scheduled on weekdays, while the proposed Flyer would run daily.

Chicago has pursued faster airport rail before. A 2018 plan selected Elon Musk’s Boring Company for a proposed 12-minute underground link, but it did not enter service. The new group argues that existing freight corridors and battery trains can avoid the extensive tunneling envisioned in that project.

Financing and Approvals Are the Critical Tests

O’Hare Flyer describes the project as a private endeavor and says it is not seeking subsidies that could otherwise support CTA or Metra. The group has not disclosed how much capital it has raised, however, or published the ridership and revenue assumptions behind the US$2.25bn estimate.

The project team has briefed Mayor Brandon Johnson. His statement welcomed further discussions about private investment but did not endorse or approve the plan. Chicago’s transportation and aviation departments would need to review work at the downtown and airport ends of the route, and construction near active taxiways would add aviation and operational requirements.

Lundy told the Sun-Times that preliminary construction could begin in 2027 and the project could be completed in five years. Both targets depend on the remaining railroad arrangements, financing, city decisions, community review, engineering, and construction contracts.

The CSX letter of intent is therefore an early commercial milestone, not control of the complete route. Agreements with Canadian National and Union Pacific, a financed delivery plan, and formal public approvals will determine whether the 15-minute proposal advances beyond development.