Celebrating 40 Years of Rail Service to O’Hare

Screenshot from an old video of an ad reading We're going to O'Hare via extension of our rapid transit system.

The CTA is celebrating the 40 year anniversary of the Blue Line extension to O’Hare, which went into service on September 3, 1984.

To mark the milestone, the CTA will be offering rides aboard our vintage 6000-series rail cars on Sunday, September 1 from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. from the O’Hare Blue Line station.

Riders will be able to take a 15-minute round trip from O’Hare to Rosemont Yard until 1:30 p.m. Regular CTA rail fare ($5 from O’Hare, 2.50 full fare; $1.25 reduced fare) will still apply.

PDF Download the event poster

PDF Download easel board, Event

PDF Download easel board, 2600s

PDF Download easel board, 6000s

PDF Download easel board, Station

PDF Download easel board, Jahn Architecture

PDF Download easel board, Before the ‘L’ came

6000-series train at O'Hare station — 6000-series. Learn more about these railcars.

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 are outfitted with vintage maps and advertisements from the 1980s, around when the extension opened.

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.

A bit of history

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.

The Heritage Fleet Program is designed to preserve and celebrate the city's and CTA's history and is maintained by volunteers. Learn more about the 6000-series railcars and the CTA Heritage Fleet.