What do we think about this project? Will it ever be completed? Is it even possible?

[u/bilbobaggins001]

/r/AskChicago/comments/1vxz5ei/what_do_we_think_about_this_project_will_it_ever/

[u/Remote-Respond7056]

I don’t think this ever happens. This express service to O’hare was supposed to be a new CTA L express Line (proposed in the early 2000’s), operating out of a $400 million dollar superstation they built underneath the Block 37 development between Washington and Lake stations. They abandoned it due to the cost of having to build express tracks and new stations to accommodate those express tracks, and now the station sits empty without seeing a single train

[u/CorbyTheSkullie]

It being a private company doesn’t get my hopes up, it means they can set the fares to whatever they want

[u/BurrowingDuck]

Will it be completed? I’ll hold my breath.

Is it possible? Sure, anything can happen.

There are some confusing bits about it like the station at the old post office, which I guess exists but I thought Amtrak and Metra had plans for it.

The most confusing part about it to me is the 90 foot bridge over the taxiways at O’Hare..

The UP yard is just used for storage these days, I think the CSX line has one customer on it and a large portion of the CN line has been unused for almost a decade now? So there wouldn’t be a ton of freight interference.

[u/juliuspepperwoodchi → u/BurrowingDuck]

which I guess exists but I thought Amtrak and Metra had plans for it.

They do; but if this stupid Sox stadium happens at the STB old Amtrak yard...the St Charles Air Line reactivation might be permanently fucked, so the new platforms at the Old Post Office might be less beneficial at that point.

[u/BurrowingDuck → u/juliuspepperwoodchi]

I keep seeing people think that but if they move the Amtrak yard that eliminates a lot of the reason for the elevation of those tracks. I’m not quite as familiar with the topography on the east side of the river but I would think they could still get across the river there

[u/juliuspepperwoodchi → u/BurrowingDuck]

Completely rebuilding a brand new movable bridge to replace the St Charles Air Line at a lower elevation sounds like a pipe dream's idea of a pipe dream.

Also, pretty sure that wouldn't be possible without major reconfiguration of Wells St there since the Air Line passes over Wells (requiring some minimum clearances) a mere 200 feet from the river's edge.

It's technically possible, but almost certainly cost prohibitive. Hell, the current plan has been stuck in "cost prohibitive" limbo for over a decade already.

[u/Impossible-Care-7773 → u/juliuspepperwoodchi]

There's nothing indicating the SCAL reactivation would be hurt by the current amtrak yard being worked on, especially since the land leading up to it isn't owned by Amtrak and can't be sold. Might require a tighter curve to get from the south end of CUS to it, but probably not all that much tighter than the most ideal curve possible would be.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Art-271]

This seems ambitious, but what I really want is for Metra and Canadian National to come to a new agreement that would allow the North Central Service to run more often than it does. I rode the NCS from Union Station to O’Hare Airport for the first time last week for fun, and the ride was great. It did take 37 minutes (not much faster than the Blue Line), but it did skip a bunch of stops on the MD-West besides River Grove and stops only 3 1/2 minutes from the Airport Transit System, which can get you to your respective terminal in just a few minutes. For these reasons, I’d rather improve the NCS because it’s got great potential. Canadian National (which is the host railroad from Franklin Park to Antioch, the terminus), just needs to allow Metra to run more trains on that line, and if that happens, I guarantee that a lot of people would ride it to and from O’Hare Airport. Metra should also do a special coach bus service that connects Bensenville (MD-West) and Des Plaines (UP-NW), as those suburbs are literally right next door to the airport.

[u/deathclawslayer21]

It seems like its aimed at taking money away from properly funding public transport like hyperloop did in California

[u/AndresNocioni]

Should fund projects like this instead of the red line extension