Riders will be able to hop aboard the 6000-series train cars and learn about the history of expanding rail service to O’Hare International Airport in September 1984
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is marking 40 years of rail service to O’Hare International Airport by inviting customers to take a ride back in time.
To mark the milestone, the CTA will be offering rides aboard our vintage 6000-series rail cars on Sunday, September 1 beginning at 10 a.m. from the O’Hare Blue Line station. Riders will be able to take a 15-minute round trip ride from O’Hare to Rosemont Yard until 1:30 p.m. Regular CTA rail fare ($2.50 full fare; $1.25 reduced fare or $5 from O’Hare) will still apply.
The 6000-series cars, part of CTA’s the Heritage Fleet, were built in the 1950s and were retired from regular service at the end of 1992. These cars were among the type of ‘L’ trains that brought CTA riders to and from the airport when the O’Hare extension was completed in 1984. The cars have been outfitted with vintage maps and advertisements from the 1980s, around when the extension opened for the anniversary celebration.
In addition, a pair of 2600-series cars – another type of ‘L’ car that provided service to the new O’Hare station in 1984 – will be on display at the event. Still running in service today on the Blue, Brown and Orange lines, the 2600-series cars were brand-new and in the midst of being built and delivered to CTA when the O’Hare extension opened. The 2600s on display will be wrapped in their original 1980s “Spirit of Chicago” paint scheme, and also decorated inside with vintage maps and advertisements from the period. Heritage Fleet staff will be available to answer questions from rail fans about the historic vehicles.
Proposals to extend the ‘L’ to O’Hare Airport date back to the 1950s, and the Kennedy Expressway was built in the 1960s with a wide median strip specifically to accommodate the tracks. The ‘L’ was extended toward O’Hare in stages, first extended from Logan Square to Jefferson Park in 1970, then to Rosemont in 1983. The final stretch to O’Hare opened on Labor Day, September 3, 1984. When the O’Hare station opened, the CTA was one of only a few cities in the United States with a direct rapid transit connection to an airport. CTA made history again when the Orange Line opened in 1993, connecting to Midway and becoming the first city in the U.S. to provide direct, one-seat rapid transit service to and from two major airports.
“Extending the Blue Line to reach O’Hare is an investment that has paid in dividends over the past four decades,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “Our rail network connects to both of our city’s airports, benefiting both Chicago residents and visitors. It’s become a hallmark of a world-class city, and I’m proud that our system connects riders to the rest of the world.”
CTA will also be distributing a limited quantity of commemorative posters and pins at the O’Hare station, at the south end of the inner-loop platform (limit one per person please).
The Heritage Fleet Program is designed to preserve and celebrate the city's and CTA's history and is maintained by volunteers. To learn more about the 6000-series railcars and the CTA Heritage Fleet, visit: https://www.transitchicago.com/heritagefleet/