Why create a passenger route over a Metra route that could clearly create express trains from Union Station?! The only way Amtrak could go to Ohare if it went to Rockford via a connection (they’d have to build it) to the UP West line at Deval.
Why Rockford? Where is “Deval?”
On a related note:
And you think the airlines pay for all their facilities?
Rockford is just a major city to end in (the middle of nowhere seems more stupid). Deval junction is in the Des Plaines area and is where the UP West line crosses over the CNW “New” line crosses over the CN WC sub crosses over both. to sum it up: it’s a rail triangle of three mainlines 
You mean UP Northwest? Anyway an Amtrak line to O’Hare would merely be a link to Union Station, so it wouldn’t go to Rockford. Expansion isn’t happening anytime soon as the GOP (federal House) is cutting funding to Illinois in another political move in the disguise of budget balancing.
I think the airlines are fighting this because it means their facility use fees/ticket fees will go up to service the construction bonds. United and American aren’t too far removed from bad financial times - they don’t want to start paying for a runway they don’t need.
The city’s values and the airline’s values are clearly not aligned. To the city, this is all about construction jobs. To the airlines, it’s just a capacity issue.
The thing is, the Big 2 wanted expansion of O’Hare rather than a 3rd airport at Peotone, when business was good and capacity was tight. That was the primary reason for even considering expansion (part of it is reconfiguration or realignment of the runways to be like Hartsfield - multiple parallel E-W runways).
Yes they do.
The thing is, United and American got what they wanted. The expansion that has been done is all that is needed now. The city of Chicago is right now asking both United and American to pay for expansion that the two airlines won’t use. I have no issue with the airlines not wanting to pay for something that they don’t need.
There are different viewpoints and I guess it may take the courts to decide. My impression was everyone agreed with the whole expansion plan.
So I should take the Rock Island into LaSalle St (about 24 miles). Schlep over to Union Station and get on Amtrak which will take me to Rosemont. Schlep up three flights of stairs at the Rosemont station and get on a bus to get to O’Hare. 1 and 1/2 hours to down town. 1/2 hour transfer or more to Union Station. Probably at least 1/2 hour to O’Hare plus 1/2 hour waiting for and riding the bus and two fares that are more expensive then the direct bus that takes 45 minutes and drops me at the terminal. IF they want to do something intelligent put high speed rail between Mitchell field in Milwaukee, O’Hare. Midway and South Bend. then put parking lots on the outskirts like the Illinois state line, the indiana state line and halfway between Midway and O’Hare west of Joliet. For the most part it could run elevated on the TriState tollroad centerline or I-55, be a true dedicated high speed rail line and do some good because travellers could get to any airport in the area.
This Line Is Not Around Yet But A Proposed Line (Chi-Ohare).
No they don’t. the PFC charges that are added onto tickets are assessed by the Airport and are capped at total cost per reservation (Used to be $32, but its been a while since I worked in the airliens biz). The PFC’s dont begin to cover the cost of facilities,. The Air traffic control system is a whole other story, andis covered 100% at tax payers expense. not even going to get into the cost of securty which also is not covered by the Sept. 11 security fee. Lots of litle fees, but they airports, and their tenants are still finding their way to the trough.
Looking through a couple of articles in the Chicago Tribune, I was amused to read that Daley was upset because the airlines broke their promise - and this is from someone who illegally closed Miegs field.
Having said that, I don’t think Amtrak to O’Hare makes sense.
- Erik
A factual article. As I said, the airlines agreed to pay the bulk, $2 Bil, of the cost of this phase of expansion a decade ago. Now? They sue to break the contract.
does Amtrak know about the OHARE TRANSFER?! There’s a free shuttle train that takes you to the airport from the station area.
O’Hare Transfer is a stop on Metra’s North Central Service (CN, ex-WC, ex-SOO). It would take a convoluted routing on Amtrak’s part to include that stop in a through route to anywhere of consequence.
First of all, the point is to extend existing Amtrak services, most Illinois and Michigan trains, from Union Station to O’Hare. The article wasn’t too clear about future access or what effect HSR development would have.
Chicago-Rockford-Dubuque would be 4 trains a day and come nowhere near O’Hare with the asinine selection of the CN routing. A Rockford-Chicago commuter service by way of Elgin and the UP-MDW only is on the radar in Rockford. It would have been nice to consolidate services and share costs.
The proposal to put the Amtrak terminal on the west side of O’Hare is ludicrous without the supporting CTA or Airport Transit System extension from the existing terminals; and that won’t happen without significantly more air travel to justify the proposed west terminal. The Department of Aviation has been deaf (or wearing earplugs?) regarding the suggestion to build a satellite ground terminal with Amtrak, Metra, Pace (bus), and convenient parking facilities for people coming from west of the airport and avoiding congestion on the existing entrance from the east.
While I’m on the topic, not only would a new connection be needed at Deval (Des Plaines) but also at Bensenville to have direct service between O’Hare and Rockford from Chicago. On top of that, a shuttle bus would be needed to drive around the airport and would take a 1/2 hour after the round-about train route. A much more pragmatic solution would be for a stop at Franklin Park on the Metra Milwaukee District West with a 10 min shuttle bus to the airline terminals or to the Rosemont (aka River Rd) Transportation Center.
The first proposal (20-
BTW, a non-stop train from Union Station to O’Hare Transfer would take 26 minutes based on Metra schedules by way of the Milwaukee District West. Figure on another 10 minutes for the shuttle and ATS to reach the terminals - not very user-friendly.
Trains would use the run-through tracks at Union Station. The biggest problem will be track capacity on the MDW in the evening rush hour for separate trains, especially with dedicated airport trains that may need to run every 15 minutes. Existing Metra NCS trains would have capacity; but low platform boarding is not conducive for luggage, and neither are car interiors.
In addition, running frequent Metra trains from McCormick Place to O’Hare and the northern and western suburbs through Union Station may be doable to the extent that capacity allows, 7 trains an hour combined airport-suburban with a 4 min dwell time. This would provide job connections from the South Side and south suburbs served by the Metra Electric and NICTD South Shore.
I thought that a Talgo might not be too bad for an airport service with the low floor and longitudinal seating along the walls like many of the airport car rental shuttle buses. Might carry 300-400 passengers.
None of the current or projected Amtrak services to O’Hare would run in the peak direction.
Just you wait till they create the Star Line that’ll directly connect Chicagos Ohare airport and Joliet, and all the towns in between.