Open thread: How would the O'Hare express train work?

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is committed to keeping Chicago on the global stage in terms of corporate investment and international tourism, and to help promote his vision of Chicago as a global city, the mayor says that an express line connecting O’Hare to the city’s downtown is needed. At a press conference yesterday, the mayor spoke about the idea, saying that such an investment would “pay dividends for generations to come.”

However, the mayor was sparse on details about how the proposed express train will be financed, how much it would cost, and who would operate it. The idea to connect O’Hare with the city’s downtown is an idea that has been around during the Daley years, but the mayor’s announcement yesterday adds new momentum to the concept.

So, how would an O’Hare express train look? Should it utilize existing track or run on its own? How much should it cost to use? And who should operate it? Could the abandoned superstation at Block 37 be its terminus? There are a lot of questions that may someday have answers, but for now, there’s a lot to speculate and wonder about the project’s costs and its function. What do you think?

• Emanuel lays out big plans for Chicago transit, including express line to O’Hare [Curbed Chicago]
• Friday open thread archives [Curbed Chicago]