Chicago issues RFQ for express train to O'Hare

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Infrastructure Trust (CIT) are issuing a request for qualifications to identify teams interested in developing a high-speed rail service from downtown to O'Hare International Airport.

The RFQ is the next step in Emanuel's interest in creating an express train that will transport passengers from downtown Chicago to O'Hare in 20 minutes or less, reducing the current travel time by more than 50 percent, according to a CIT press release.

"Strengthening connections between the economic engines of downtown Chicago and O'Hare airport, at no cost to taxpayers, will build on Chicago's legacy of innovation and pay dividends for generations to come," Emanuel said in a press release.

The RFQ seeks proposals from teams to develop, design, equip, finance, operate and maintain an express travel option. There will be no taxpayer funding to support the project, according to CIT.

The RFQ specifies that the service should include a downtown station, an O'Hare station and one maintenance facility. Project goals include travel times of 20 minutes or less with a service frequency of at least every 15 minutes for the majority of the day with "reasonable" premium service fares less than the cost of current taxi and ride-share services. Proposals must also address how potential conflicts or impacts on existing transportation systems and the environment would be avoided or minimized.

Cost estimates for the project are not yet known, but the RFQ stipulates that the service will be funded solely by project-specific revenue — such as fares or advertising — and financed entirely by the developer.

Among potential developers that have expressed interest in the project is Elon Musk's infrastructure firm The Boring Co. Musk tweeted yesterday that his company "will compete to fund, build and operate a high-speed loop" connecting O'Hare to downtown Chicago.

According to its website, The Boring Co. aims to dig low-cost tunnels that will allow for an underground high-speed loop to provide rapid transit across densely populated regions.