River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci opposes a proposed express train that would travel through her village at 80 mph on its way to O'Hare International Airport.

Adduci declared the village's "vehement opposition" to the O'Hare Flyer project in an Aug. 26 communication to residents, the Wednesday Journal reported. The privately funded, battery-electric train would run between downtown Chicago and O'Hare every 15 minutes from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., promising a 15-minute trip. The $2.25 billion project would not use public money, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The proposed route would follow Interstate 290 through the Eisenhower Ditch, then curve north between Forest and Park avenues. It would cross over Chicago Avenue, Iowa Street, Augusta Street and Thatcher Avenue before passing through Thatcher Woods toward O'Hare.

"They haven't worked through the state legislators that represent us," Adduci told the Wednesday Journal on Aug. 29. "I can't imagine they would agree to have 80 mph trains running through our community."

Adduci said the village contacted Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, whose district office sits on North Avenue in Oak Park, along with Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford and state representatives Emanual "Chris" Welch and Camille Lilly. Her message: the project "has to benefit all of us."

Harmon, in a prepared statement published by the Wednesday Journal on Sept. 1, said he wants to hear from the residents who would be most affected before weighing in.

O'Hare Flyer LLC co-founder and CEO David Lundy told the Wednesday Journal on Sept. 1 that the company is pursuing a collaborative approach. He said he contacted Adduci and Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins about a year ago to present the plan. Lundy described the train as "whisper-quiet" and said the tracks would use continuously welded rail to eliminate the clicking sound common on Metra and freight lines.

Lundy acknowledged that the route touches ground level near Iowa Street for about two blocks with four grade crossings. He said the company plans to elevate that section to 15 feet with sound insulation, creating underpasses instead of at-grade crossings. The company is also exploring whether to add a local stop, which Lundy said could benefit the area economically.

The project still faces a long approval path. O'Hare Flyer LLC has signed a letter of intent with railroad CSX but has not finalized agreements with Canadian National or Union Pacific, whose freight lines the train would share. Federal approvals from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are also required, along with Chicago City Council approval.

No formal village board vote on the issue has been scheduled.