The people mover trains were supposed to be running at O’Hare International Airport in September, then by Thanksgiving - but Chicago officials now say it will remain closed through the end of the year.
The O’Hare Airport Transit System (ATS), also known as the automated "people mover," is closed for construction to modernize and expand the system.
It was scheduled to reopen in September before the date was pushed back to November, with the city now saying Parsons, the contractor overseeing the project, has not yet delivered.
That means the shuttle buses taking passengers and employees around O'Hare's terminals and parking lots will still be in use for the busy holiday travel season.
The city says the delay is because of problems with the electrical current delivery system, an issue that was discovered during the testing phase.
Chicago Department of Aviation officials said at an industry conference Monday morning that the ATS will someday be a good option.
"Once the ATS is back online, every 8 minutes or so it’ll come in and... we’re excited for when it does come back online," CDA Deputy Commissioner of Communications Matt McGrath said.
Eventually the ATS will have a shortened round-trip time and double the capacity of the old system. It will also be a smoother and more reliable ride in all weather conditions, officials say, linking the airport to the Metra station and helping to ease congestion.
It is now slated to reopen at some point in early 2020, likely around January, aviation officials say, though they're hesitant to put a final deadline on the effort.
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The city is not in a contentious relationship with Parsons yet - but officials say Chicago can and likely will start implementing financial penalties on the contract if the project's completion is delayed a third time.
