With Mayor Emanuel under fire over police scandals and the schools crisis, it’s a strange time for him to move forward with a plan for an airport express train aimed at well-heeled business travelers. But last week the city awarded a $2 million contract to local engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff to identify possible routes, station locations, and a cost estimate for pricey high-speed rail service between the Loop and O’Hare.
But we know that Evans has ruled out using Daley’s Block 37 superstation, arguing it’s “not a feasible terminus” because it would disrupt nearby CTA lines. And since the express train would require its own set of tracks, it probably won’t parallel the Blue Line, which is shoehorned between lanes of the Kennedy.
Bruce Unruh agrees. He lives in Oak Park and flies in and out of O’Hare frequently for his job as a commercial construction rep. He usually takes a cab, at an average cost of $38.
While no one claims a $30 train ride is going to appeal to ordinary riders, Hertz argues that the service won’t even attract its target ridership of people with deep pockets or expense accounts. Boosters have cited Toronto’s Union Pearson Express as a model, but Hertz notes that ridership on that line has been dismal. In fact, Toronto officials announced last week that fares would be slashed from about U.S. $20 to roughly $9 in hopes of attracting more customers.
Rick Harnish, director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association—which is enthusiastically backing Emanuel’s plan—argues that his group’s CrossRail proposal would be a solution for adding value to the express project and ensuring that it’s not simply an amenity for elites at the expense of other residents, as critics have claimed.
These upgrades wouldn’t come cheap. Harnish’s group estimates a grand total of $3.5 billion.
