Chicago O'Hare Airport Transit System: Sustainable Ground Transportation

Abstract

The O'Hare Airport Transit System (the ATS) is a landside automated people mover (APM) that has been serving all four passenger terminals and Economy Parking Lot E at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport since 1993. The ATS operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week throughout Chicago's extreme weather conditions. In support of the successful O'Hare Modernization Program and the projected future growth of the airport, the ATS will be expanded with an extension of the alignment from Economy Parking Lot E to Economy Parking Lot F, the addition of a new station at Lot F, a fleet expansion, and expansion of the existing maintenance and storage facility (MSF). This paper will present a description of the primary drivers of the ATS expansion, which includes the addition of a new runway (9C-27C) and the implementation of the new Joint Use Rental Car and Public Parking Facility in Lot F, and how the ATS is affected and contributes to each of these elements. The paper will discuss how the ATS continues its longstanding contribution to sustainable ground transportation at ORD, both historically and for the future new facilities' configurations at ORD. The paper will also discuss aspects of the overall ATS expansion, including the existing north terminus of the ATS in Economy Lot E, the new station in Economy Parking Lot F that will be incorporated into the Joint Use Rental Car and Public Parking Facility, as well as expansion of the fleet and MSF to accommodate the immediate and future growth in demand.