Unbuilt Rosemont personal rapid transit system

Regional Transportation Authority Personal Rapid Transit Project
Company type	Public transportation project
Industry	Transit / Personal rapid transit
Founded	1990
Defunct	1999
Fate	Project cancelled after contractor withdrawal
Headquarters	Rosemont, Illinois, United States
Products	Personal rapid transit system (planned)
Parent	Regional Transportation Authority (Illinois)

During the 1990s, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) intended to finance a personal rapid transit (PRT) network in Rosemont, Illinois, awarding the construction contract to Raytheon. The initiative, which was ultimately abandoned in October 1999, had been chosen in 1993 as a demonstration site for PRT, prevailing over five other suburban municipalities within the Chicago metropolitan area. This system would have represented a pioneering effort by employing smaller vehicles compared to the existing Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit. It was the first notable advancement in PRT technology since the Morgantown project.

Overview of personal rapid transit

Personal rapid transit (PRT) systems utilize compact, automated electric vehicles that run on exclusive guideways (automated guideway transit). Stations are positioned on sidings, enabling vehicles to bypass intermediate stops and provide express service directly between pick-up and drop-off points.

The 1970s witnessed the development of the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system in Morgantown, West Virginia. Despite facing budget overruns and being criticized as a white elephant, it remained the sole significant PRT project until the resurgence of interest in the 1990s.

RTA's announcement of plans for a prototype PRT system

In April 1990, the RTA of Illinois revealed intentions to develop a prototype PRT system within Chicago's suburban areas. The concept involved small, computerized vehicles traveling on elevated guideways at intervals measured in seconds and reaching speeds up to , transporting passengers directly to their destinations without intermediate stops. The RTA envisioned this technology as a solution to suburban traffic congestion.

The majority of funding for this demonstration project was planned to come from the RTA itself, deliberately avoiding federal funding to minimize bureaucratic complications. However, some critics raised concerns about allocating millions toward this project given the RTA's financial difficulties and urgent requirements for $5 billion in improvements across existing rail and bus infrastructure.

Early projections indicated that constructing PRT could cost roughly one-fourth per mile compared to conventional rail systems. This initiative marked the first substantial PRT effort since Morgantown and distinguished itself by utilizing smaller vehicles rather than Morgantown’s larger "group rapid transit" (GRT)-style cars.

Selection of a location

The RTA invited bids from suburbs around Chicago interested in hosting the demonstration system. Initially, 22 suburbs expressed interest, and by March 1991, six (Addison, Deerfield, Lisle, Naperville, Rosemont, and Schaumburg) had submitted formal proposals.

Several municipalities engaged public relations firms to bolster their applications. The finalists were Deerfield, Lisle, Rosemont, and Schaumburg; Addison did not advance. On April 15, 1993, Rosemont was selected by the RTA board with a 9 to 3 vote.

Addison proposal

Addison’s plan focused on linking Pace bus routes with an expanding industrial district employing approximately 25,000 workers.

Deerfield proposal

Deerfield proposed a 2.75mi route situated within the Lake-Cook Corridor that would connect a new Lake Cook Road station on Metra’s Milwaukee District North Line with nearby office parks and retail locations. The loop included four stations and served around 7,000 employees along its path and about 24,500 within the broader corridor. Planned expansions included a 5.7mi western extension serving employment centers near Lake-Cook Road and Interstate 94 tollway in Deerfield and Northbrook, as well as a 2.6mi eastern loop connecting to Northbrook Court.

Lisle proposal

Lisle envisioned a 2.5-mile transit line linking the Metra BNSF Line’s Lisle station to downtown Lisle, nearby office and research facilities, the Hyatt Lisle hotel, and a car dealership area. This corridor would include between seven and ten stops. The plan featured three main extensions: a 1.9-mile westward expansion reaching offices along Warrensville Road and the Morton Arboretum; a 2.9-mile extension crossing the East-West Tollway to serve office buildings and multifamily housing west of Warrensville Road; along with several other possible expansions. To help finance part of the construction, Lisle explored implementing a hotel-motel tax.

Naperville proposal

Naperville proposed a route with ten stations on the suburb’s west side, connecting to the Naperville station serving both Metra’s BNSF Line and Amtrak. The line was intended to provide access to retail centers, office complexes, and residential neighborhoods.

Rosemont proposal

The Rosemont plan involved a route linking the Rosemont station on the CTA Blue Line to local developments such as hotels and the Rosemont-O'Hare Exposition Center. It was designed to integrate with existing Pace bus services and potentially extend to the Airport Transit System at O'Hare International Airport. Major hotel chains expressed interest in contributing funding for this initiative. Officials proposed that the PRT system could replace existing shuttle services for hotels and offices. Mayor Donald Stephens had long championed an internal transit network connecting key locations within Rosemont. A 1992 study by Wilbur Smith estimated daily ridership at 4,000 passengers with a $2 fare, increasing to 7,500 if rides were free.

Schaumburg proposal

Schaumburg's proposed route would connect its future Pace bus depot to office parks, a hotel, and Woodfield Mall, running along the mall’s western side. Officials anticipated this system would reduce local automobile traffic by at least 10%. The plan received support from neighboring communities including Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, and Palatine.

Progress after selecting the Rosemont proposal

The RTA reviewed submissions from Stone & Webster and Intamin. In 1993, Raytheon acquired Stone & Webster’s bid, focusing on their Taxi2000 technology. While Intamin’s design relied on track switches to guide vehicles, Raytheon’s approach utilized onboard routing devices. The PRT 2000 system from Raytheon was based on innovations developed by J. Edward Anderson at the University of Minnesota. That year, RTA contracted Raytheon to develop a prototype employing Taxi2000 technology, preferring it over Intamin’s due to concerns about switch operation speed and safety. The RTA awarded an $18 million contract to Taxi 2000 Corporation and Raytheon, who also invested $20 million of their own capital to conduct safety and reliability testing before committing to full-scale construction.

Raytheon constructed a test track in Marlborough, Massachusetts, operational by 1995 and yielding encouraging outcomes. By 1997, plans featured a route with seven stations served by 45 vehicles, supported by three power substations along with maintenance and control facilities spanning . Following capital cost evaluations, the project was scaled down to six stations.

The system was designed for twenty hours of daily operation, targeting two million annual passenger trips at a $1 fare per ride, functioning as both a collector and circulator transit service. Ridership forecasts by Wilbur Smith and Associates estimated weekday boardings between 5,530 and 6,650 depending on events at Rosemont’s convention center, with the CTA connection station expected to have the highest volume.

Construction costs were projected at $124 million, with RTA leaders indicating no expectation of federal funding assistance.

Meanwhile, Schaumburg—having not been selected for the RTA project—continued developing its own PRT system plans during the mid-1990s.

Project Termination

The initiative concluded in October 1999 following Raytheon's unexpected decision to withdraw from the personal rapid transit (PRT) sector. Before this development, expenses had surged to US$50 million per mile, primarily driven by design changes that increased the system's weight and costs beyond the initial framework proposed by Anderson. In 2000, ownership of the technology rights reverted to the University of Minnesota and were subsequently purchased by Taxi2000, which remained operational until its dissolution on March 13, 2018. The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) had contributed $22.5 million prior to the project's cancellation, with $18 million dedicated to building Raytheon's prototype test track located in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Raytheon disclosed a total expenditure of $45 million. Additionally, the high costs associated with guideway construction played a major role in halting the project. Although Raytheon showed a brief inclination to pursue further development after announcing its exit, the PRT system was never realized.

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