Daley Focusing On High-Speed Rail During China Visit
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Richard M. Daley said Wednesday that finding investors for a high-speed train from the Loop to O'Hare International Airport is a top priority of his two-week trade mission to China, now underway.
As WBBM Newsradio 780 Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, Daley and members of his delegation in China have been talking with business and financial people and experts in rail lines, hoping to spur private investment in construction of a high-speed rail from the downtown Chicago to O'Hare.
It would take passengers to the airport or the city in about 20 minutes.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780 Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports
Podcast
In an interview on China Central Television, the mayor said he hopes the project itself will persuade investors to put up their money.
"With expertise coming down, looking at the alternative routes – there's two alternative routes – and of course the routes will not displace anybody. It will not hamper any community. But, most importantly, it will rebuild the heart of the city, which you always need."
Daley has been studying China's high-speed rail system and he said he wants a similar project in Chicago.
"Presently, we have been tracking a number of investors here in China, as well as those who have constructed engineering, constructed high-speed trains," Daley said. "I'm kind of envious when you come to China to see all the progress they've made."
Daley said he believes public-private partnerships with international investors is the future of such projects in Chicago.
