Table Of Contents - Chicago Transit Authority

3.2.5.4 Fare Collection
CTA Express Airport Train Service Business Plan
New station costs for California/Milwaukee and Damen/Milwaukee, as discussed in 3.3.2, include fare
collection equipment as part of the overall station cost estimate. In a similar context, each new
dedicated terminal cost estimate includes fare collection equipment. The initial $10 million allocations for
O’Hare, 108 N. State Street, and Midway for the airport service include fare collection equipment specific
to that service.
3.3 CURRENT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
3.3.1 Prior Studies of Express Airport Train Service
Components of the Express Airport Train Service have been previously studied by other public sector
entities in Chicago:
• 1999 – TranSystems Corporation provided the City of Chicago with a rail access improvement study
for the segment between downtown and O’Hare airport. The study evaluated three proposed routes
for airport trains and compared order-of-magnitude costs for each option.
• 2000 – Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, under contract to the Chicago Department of
Transportation (CDOT), investigated the feasibility of express service between downtown Chicago
and O’Hare Airport, using existing CTA and Metra lines.
• 2003 / 2004 – CDOT engaged Resource Systems Group (RSG) and Wilbur Smith Associates (WSA) to
forecast ridership for an Express Airport Train Service.
3.3.2 Related CTA Studies
• Downtown Connection of the CTA Red and Blue Lines and Expansion of the Washington Street
Station Draft Environmental Assessment – In 2004, Jones & Stokes Associates, Inc. provided CTA and
CDOT with an assessment of the environmental impact of creating a connection between the CTA
Blue and Red lines to accommodate airport rail service.
3.3.3 Downtown Station and Improvements
In 2005, a development agreement was signed between CTA and The Mills Corporation to construct a
new multi-level CTA station that would include rail service between O’Hare and Midway airports.
Construction is anticipated to be completed in 2008. The station will encompass approximately 30,000
square feet.
Above the station will be a four to five story base structure that includes up to 400,000 square feet of
retail, entertainment space, and dining. Three towers will be constructed above the base for
residential/hotel and office space.
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