From Chicago to the airport on autonomous carts under the ground: Loop project by Ilona Mask

Artistic representation of the Loop trolley. Render: The Boring Company

Now passengers arriving at O'Hare International Airport pay $ 60 for a regular taxi or $ 40 for Uber to get to downtown Chicago. Ordinary people drive to CTA Blue Line - the train goes from Chicago for $ 2.25 (from the airport - for $ 5), with 14 stops in about 45 minutes. In general, it turns out to be either expensive or long.

Chicago Mayor Ram Emanuel (Rahm Emanuel) promised to rectify the situation - and launch a high-speed train from the airport to the city. High-speed train should fly non-stop, it will be faster and cheaper than a taxi.
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On November 29, 2017, the city administration published the so-called Request for Qualifications (RFQ), that is, a preliminary invitation to participate in the project, writes the local newspaper Chicago Tribune . Anyone can submit their applications and announce their desire to design, build, operate and maintain such a route through a public-private partnership.

The RFQ specifically states that there is no budget financing for the project. The operator can rely on income only from the services provided: ticket sales, advertising, etc. But one must take into account that this operator will be practically a monopolist on the route from the airport to the city. Everyone will drive only through it. So there is a good profit.

Under the RFQ terms, there should be a station at the airport and a downtown station, as well as a maintenance depot. The route should provide travel time between stations of 20 minutes or less with an interval between trains of no more than 15 minutes for most of the day, and "bonus" tickets should cost no more than the cost of a taxi and Uber.

Ilon Musk and his boring company The Boring Company could not get past such a “tasty” project. In his twitter, the entrepreneur immediately announced that he intended to participate in the tender (although someone might say that for him this is more PR than a real business opportunity).


In fact, it was initially assumed that the tender participants would propose the construction of a highway for a high-speed train. According to experts, the cost of such a project will be from $ 1 billion to $ 3 billion. But it is not formally stipulated that the route must be above the ground. It may well be under the ground. Especially for this tender, The Boring Company has developed a draft Loop .

Named like Hyperloop, this project is somewhat reminiscent of the old idea of ​​trains in vacuum tunnels. But in this case "there is no need to get rid of air friction." The distance is pretty close and the speed is only 200-240 km / h.

The official FAQ on the Boring Company website contains information about the Loop project. It is said that this is a high-speed underground public transport system, where passengers are transported by autonomous electric carts (skates) at a speed of 200-240 km / h. Each trolley accommodates from 8 to 16 passengers or one passenger car.

The FAQ notes that Loop and Hyperloop are similar, but Loop is designed for short distances. The difference from the metro is that there are no intermediate stops. There is only an entry point and an exit point, so carts can accelerate to greater speed than subway trains. Although there are no intermediate stations, the entry and exit points can be many along the route and can be made small: literally the size of a parking space. Similarly, tunnels can be much smaller in diameter than the metro.

A trolley (skate) is a platform on wheels that is driven by several electric motors. There is an increased security of the autonomous system, which is free from human error and cannot physically deviate from the course. If you add a vacuum tube to the tunnel, the Loop carts will automatically turn into Hyperloop trains, said the FAQ.

Trolleys move through the main tunnel, and drive in and out of it through the side tunnels.

RFQ applications are accepted until January 24, 2018. Discussion of the proposed projects, the adoption of a final decision and the start of construction of the highway - all this should be packed in three years. The mayor of Chicago offered three potential routes for the construction of a highway, but these are not mandatory requirements. Each participant has the right to offer an alternative route. For example, under the ground.