Blue Line O’Hare Out of Commission for July

Repairs knock out Blue Line O’Hare leg in July
By: Lorene Yue June 20, 2008

(Crain’s) — Riders taking the Blue Line to and from O’Hare International Airport will have to take part of the journey by bus in July due to rail work.

The Chicago Transit Authority is replacing deteriorated rails and ties on four miles of track between the Rosemont and O’Hare stations on the O’Hare branch of the Blue Line. Starting at 3 a.m. on July 8 until sometime July 28, trains will not run between those stations. Service will be covered via a shuttle bus.

That means for three weeks, Blue Line riders will have to jump on a CTA bus at O’Hare’s shuttle bus center instead of heading to the underground train station.

Track work is being done to improve travel on the Blue Line, where train speeds have been restricted due to the condition of the tracks.

Because of track conditions, trains between Rosemont and O’Hare are currently inching along in some areas at 15 miles per hour,” Ron Huberman, CTA’s president, said in a statement.

Once the work is complete, the Blue Line trains on the O’Hare branch should be able to reach speeds of 55 miles per hour.