Quote:
Originally Posted by k1052
The airport express station was never finished, it's just a bare shell. Estimates to finish it were $100M minimum a few years ago. So conservatively we're looking at a total $600M total expenditure to provide a service that could be accomplished out of Union Station for $50M and be integrated with Metra/Amtrak connections.
I think the argument that this would pull more jobs into the west side of the loop and across the river thus shouldn't be done is largely moot, since this has already happened on it's own. Addressing the need of faster connections from the east loop (including the MED/SS) and now River North/North Michigan Ave/Streeterville to thew west loop train stations should be high on the list of priorities.
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This is what I'd like to see. It would greatly expand the utility of the Central Area and the useful areas for both locating businesses and living.
UP-N, UP-NW and BNSF electrified (at least)
Service on those lines boosted to a minimum of every 30 minutes from 6am to 12am, 7 days, with perhaps bolstered frequency to every 10 minutes within the central city.
Subterranean busways under Monroe St, Chicago Ave and North Michigan.
Yellow = new tunnels (from Streeterville north, the tunnels should be deep - below utlities)
Orange = Massive rework to make majority through-routed (Penn Station as a model)
Green = New stations
