O'Hare 'People Mover' To Reopen After 3 Years Of Construction

CHICAGO — O'Hare International Airport's Transit System, commonly called the people mover, will reopen Tuesday following almost three years of construction, the Chicago Department of Aviation announced Friday.

The elevated cars circled on a track between airport terminals and the remote parking lot since it was unveiled in 1993. Since the system was fully shut down in January of 2019, shuttle buses took people back and forth though the system grew critique from frequent fliers for small bus sizes and infrequent schedules.

Originally, the people mover was anticipated to reopen in fall of 2019 after a $310 million facelift from Parsons Construction Group. Prior to the pandemic, officials hoped the ATS would be complete enough to begin general service by December of 2018.

Modifications included modernizing the system's cars to make them larger and extending tracks to another facility on the northeast side of O'Hare, connecting rental car agencies.

The timeline was pushed back in spring of 2018 when the group was given another $23 million to finish by September 2019. According to reports, the Department of Aviation blamed the contractor for delays.

As the COVID-19 pandemic caused supply chain slowdowns and facility shutdowns, the project was again pushed back with an updated price tag of around $355 million. Officials told Patch further details on the cost and timeline of the project will be unveiled at the Tuesday opening.