Misplaced Pages

#729270

125-704: Chicago Union Station is an intercity and commuter rail terminal located in the West Loop neighborhood of the Near West Side of Chicago . Amtrak 's flagship station in the Midwest , Union Station is the terminus of eight national long-distance routes and eight regional corridor routes. Six Metra commuter lines also terminate here. Union Station is just west of the Chicago River between West Adams Street and West Jackson Boulevard, adjacent to

250-732: A China -funded higher-speed railway link, the Boten–Vientiane railway , commonly referred to as the China-Laos Railway. A fully electrified higher-speed railway line, it is part of a long-term goal of connecting China with the rest of Southeast Asia . The line runs from Boten near the China- Laos border to Vientiane , the capital of Laos, using CRRC high/higher-speed EMU trains. Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan Railways) operates loco-hauled express trains called KTM Intercity along Peninsular Malaysia and into Singapore . At

375-428: A Fred Harvey restaurant. After a large fire in 1980, the space was damaged, windows on Clinton Street were destroyed, and the space was left vacant since then. In 2018, Amtrak announced plans to redevelop the space into a multi-level food hall, using funds from the sale of its parking garage. A new entrance and canopy would be installed on Clinton Street, and new windows would replace the bricked-up windows. The food hall

500-494: A Modernist complex of five buildings. Only the first four were built, and construction lasted into the 1980s through several economic cycles. In 1990 the Morton International Building opened. Now named for Boeing , it is the tallest building yet to be constructed over the tracks. With the construction of River Point beginning in 2013 and 150 North Riverside beginning in 2014, the entire length of

625-558: A union station just north of the original Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railroad station site at Van Buren Street. These railroads were: The Michigan Central, which had previously been using the Illinois Central Railroad 's Great Central Station , soon decided to back out of the agreement, and continued to use the Illinois Central Depot. The Chicago and North Western Railway , not part of

750-574: A 10,180,000-square-kilometre (3,930,000-square-mile) area. Eurostar and EuroCity are examples. In many European countries, the word InterCity or Inter-City is an official brand name for a network of regular-interval and relatively long-distance train services that meet certain criteria of speed and comfort. That use of the term appeared in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and has been widely imitated. The speeds of inter-city rail lines are quite diverse, ranging from 50 km/h (31 mph) in

875-498: A December 1944 issue of The Saturday Evening Post , depicting the station jammed with Christmas travelers. After the war, the growth of highway construction and private ownership of automobiles caused a severe decline in American passenger-rail ridership, including at Union Station. In 1969, the station's owner demolished the concourse building, making way for a modern office tower. A new and modernized, though less grand, concourse

1000-588: A civic push to consolidate numerous railroad terminals, led to a proposal for an enlarged Union Station on the same site. The second Union Station would be built by the Chicago Union Station Company . This was a new company formed by all the railroads that had used the first station, save for the Chicago and Alton, which became a tenant in the new station. The Pennsylvania Railroad, then the U.S.'s largest railroad company, planned and directed

1125-530: A decade arguing a merger with regulators, was stumbling towards another stunning bankruptcy, as was the Milwaukee Road , the nation's most technologically advanced transcontinental . In 1972, the damage from Hurricane Agnes destroyed important Penn Central branches and main lines, and pushed the other northeastern roads into bankruptcy. By the mid-1970s, no major player east of Rochester - Pittsburgh , north of Pittsburgh- Philadelphia , and southwest of

1250-664: A hyphen) was first conceived as a brand name by British Rail for the launch of its electrification of the major part of the West Coast Main Line in 1966, which brought new express services between London and the major cities of Manchester , Birmingham and Liverpool . It later became the name of one of British Rail's new business sectors in the 1980s and was used to describe the whole network of main-line passenger routes in Great Britain, but it went out of official use following privatisation . The introduction of

1375-457: A mountainous area or on undeveloped tracks to 200–350 km/h (124–217 mph) on newly constructed or improved tracks. As a result, Inter-city rail may or may not fall into the category of higher-speed rail or high-speed rail . Ideally, the average speed of inter-city rail service would be faster than 100 km/h (62 mph) in order to be competitive with car, bus and other methods of transport. The distance of an inter-city rail journey

SECTION 10

#1732793032730

1500-553: A significant role in long-distance travel in the future. Railways in Africa are still developing or not practically used for passenger purposes in many countries, but the following countries have inter-city services between major cities: Trains run by China Railway link almost every town and city in the People's Republic of China , including Beijing , Guangzhou , Shanghai , Shenzhen , and Xi'an , and onwards from Shenzhen across

1625-415: A square Neoclassical structure, takes up one city block. Its architectural style contrasts with modern glass-faced buildings around it. The station has wide porticos and large colonnades on its exterior. The street-level entrances utilize Indiana limestone . The station originally featured a large Beaux-Arts concourse building along the river, made with marble, glass, and iron. Massive steel arches held up

1750-463: A substantial profit (although the NYC came much closer). In 1957, the two proposed a merger, despite severe organizational and regulatory hurdles. Neither railroad had much respect for its merger partner; the lines had fought bitterly over New York-Chicago custom and ill-will remained in the executive suites. Amongst middle management , the company's corporate cultures all but precluded integration:

1875-522: A surface parking lot. It features an elevator and stairway to the Amtrak underground pedestrian tunnel, allowing commuters to pass between Union Station and the bus staging area without crossing at street level. Union Station has a counter operated by the Greyhound intercity bus company. Tickets are available for purchase, and some Greyhound and Megabus buses pick up passengers on South Canal Street, on

2000-531: A team of young, flexible managers had begun reshaping the NYC from a traditional railroad into a multimodal express-freight transporter, while the PRR continued to bet on a railroad revival. At a technical level, the two companies served independent markets east of Cleveland (running through their namesake states), but virtually identical trackage west of Cleveland meant any merger would have anticompetitive effect. For decades, merger proposals had tried to balance

2125-406: A top service speed of 160 km/h. In Australia, electrified interurban commuter railway systems are used to connect urban areas separated by long distances and use heavy-rail equipment: On these systems, services either run as limited-stop expresses in the suburban area or as shuttles terminating where the suburban lines end. A large-scale non-electric project of four regional lines known as

2250-464: A tower addition above Union Station. From 2018 to 2019, a $ 22 million restoration of the Great Hall, including restoring original detailing and rebuilding the large skylight, was completed, increasing natural light by 50 to 60 percent. The skylight, originally built in the 1920s, suffered from decades of harsh weather, leading to countless patchwork repairs, many of which blocked light from entering

2375-432: A viable railroad. Then, on April 1, 1976, Penn Central transferred those rail operations to the government-owned Consolidated Rail Corporation ( Conrail ). Facing the continued loss of market share to the trucking industry, the railroad industry and its unions asked the federal government for deregulation . The 1980 Staggers Act , which deregulated the railroad industry, proved to be a key factor in bringing Conrail and

2500-460: Is an event space at the northwest of the Great Hall. The room features large columns, chandeliers, four French block murals of landscape scenery, and an original mirror. The space, initially a women's lounge, was restored in November 2016, after years of damage and neglect. For event uses, the space has color-changing lights and an audiovisual system. The headhouse includes a space formerly used as

2625-532: Is linked by railway, run by Korail . ITX-Saemaeul is operated in most Main railway lines like Japanese limited express or German Intercity . Also, Mugunghwa-ho is the most common and most popular type of intercity rail travel like German Regional-Express . In addition, Seoul and Busan are linked by a high-speed train line known as KTX , which was built using French TGV technology. India 's inter-city trains are run by Indian Railways . With 68,043 km (42,280 mi) of rail routes and 7,308 stations,

SECTION 20

#1732793032730

2750-847: Is maintained by Iarnród Éireann and Northern Ireland 's is run by Northern Ireland Railways . With the introduction of high-speed trains, intercity trains are limited to few services per day on mainline and regional tracks. The daytime services ( InterCity IC), while not frequent and limited to one or two trains per route, are essential in providing access to cities and towns off the railway's mainline network. The main routes are Trieste to Rome (stopping at Venice , Bologna , Prato , Florence and Arezzo ), Milan to Rome (stopping at Genoa , La Spezia , Pisa and Livorno / stopping at Parma , Modena , Bologna, Prato, Florence and Arezzo), Bologna to Lecce (stopping at Rimini , Ancona , Pescara , Bari and Brindisi ) and Rome to Reggio di Calabria (stopping at Latina and Naples ). In addition,

2875-550: Is most competitive at about two to three hours journey time. Inter-city rail can often compete with highways and short-haul air travel for journeys of this distance. Most major intercity railway routes in Europe, such as London to Birmingham, Paris to Lyon, and Lisbon to Porto cover this range of distances. In journeys of 500–1,000 km (300–600 mi), the role of inter-city rail is often replaced by faster air travel . Development of high-speed rail in some countries increases

3000-775: Is planning the revival of inter-city rail with projects such as the PNR South Long Haul which aims to reconstruct the railway in Southern Luzon. Thailand has a sizable meter-gauge intercity rail network radiating outwards from Bangkok , transporting around 60 million passengers every year. Construction is underway to connect Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima using a dedicated high speed rail line. Trains in Vietnam , run by Vietnam Railways , link Hanoi , Hué , Da Nang , Nha Trang , and Ho Chi Minh City . Israel Railways operates inter-city services between all

3125-594: Is relatively low: trains average 60 or 70 km/h (37 or 43 mph). Canada 's inter-city trains are mostly run by Via Rail , a Canadian crown corporation mandated to operate inter-city passenger rail service in Canada. The majority of its services connect major cities in the most populous part of the country known as the Quebec City - Windsor Corridor , straddling the provinces of Ontario and Quebec . It also operates long-distance trains to western Canada and

3250-719: Is situated in the West Loop Gate neighborhood of the Near West Side of Chicago, just west of Chicago's Loop . The station's underground concourse and train sheds abut the Chicago River ; passageways extend west beneath Canal Street to the main station building, one block over. Not all lines and junctions shown Unlike many major American intercity and commuter rail hubs, Union Station does not have any direct connection to local rapid transit service. However, two Chicago "L" stations are within walking distance of Union Station. Metra's other three downtown terminals –

3375-809: Is the fastest one. All long-distance journeys generally require a reservation, although unreserved travel is allowed in some trains. There is only one train service in Cambodia , from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville , stopping at Doun Kaev (Takeo) and Kampot . In Indonesia, PT Kereta Api operates inter-city services between some of the country's major cities, like Jakarta , Bandung , Semarang , Yogyakarta , Surakarta , Surabaya , Medan , Padang , and Palembang . In Jakarta metropolitan area (or Jabodetabek ), KRL Jabotabek operates inter-city and commuter services. Indonesia also currently operates Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail line, from Jakarta to Bandung . In recent years construction has started on

3500-570: Is the only station in the territory where passengers can catch these cross-border trains. Passengers are required to go through immigration and customs inspections of Hong Kong before boarding a cross-border train or alighting from such a train. There are currently three cross-border train services on the conventional line: A new border-crossing service, the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link , has been approved and has been granted HKD 6.6 billion in funding by

3625-667: Is the second by that name built in Chicago, and possibly the third rail station to occupy the site. The need for a single, centralized station was an important political topic in 19th and 20th-century Chicago, as various competing railroads had built a series of terminal stations. The numerous stations and associated railyards and tracks surrounded the city's central business district, the Loop , and threatened its expansion. The various stations also made travel difficult for through-travelers, many of whom had to make inconvenient transfers often slowed by street traffic from one station to another through

3750-491: Is usually at least 50–100 km (30–60 mi), although in many large metropolitan areas commuter and regional services cover equal or longer distances. Examples of countries with relatively short intercity rail distances with service patterns comparable to regional rail include Belgium , Israel , The Netherlands , and Switzerland . A distance of 100–500 km (60–300 mi) is a common journey distance for inter-city rail in many countries. In many cases, railway travel

3875-592: The California Zephyr , and the Hiawatha . The name Ann Rutledge was used by Amtrak as a Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City route until a name and service consolidation in 2009. There is also a Lincoln Service that operates in Illinois. Located west of Canal Street, Union Station's station building occupies an entire city block. At its center is the Great Hall, the main waiting room. Arrayed around

Chicago Union Station - Misplaced Pages Continue

4000-688: The Hiawatha , the Borealis , and the Empire Builder , and by Metra for the Milwaukee District West , Milwaukee District North , and North Central Service routes. The south tracks are used for all other Amtrak services, as well as by Metra for the BNSF , Heritage Corridor and SouthWest Services . Two station management structures (known as glasshouses), one on each side of the terminal, monitor train-to-track assignments and

4125-578: The Art Deco style, it was the first structure to add a public promenade along the river, which would be named Riverside Plaza . Soon after, in 1932, the new Chicago Main Post Office opened. Also in the Art Deco style, it is a gigantic structure that occupies two full city blocks. The Great Depression and subsequent World War II halted development, but in the 1960s, work began on Gateway Center,

4250-514: The British Rail Class 43 (HST) helped InterCity become a familiar brand in the 1970s. The principal network of international express trains in continental Europe is called EuroCity , even though some InterCity trains also cross borders. High-speed railways have relatively few stops. The German high-speed train service was named InterCityExpress , indicating its evolution from older InterCity trains. Other high-speed lines include

4375-680: The Chicago Loop . Including approach and storage tracks, it covers about nine and a half city blocks (mostly underground, beneath streets and skyscrapers, some built with the earliest usage of railway air rights ). The present station opened in 1925, replacing an earlier union station on this site built in 1881. The station is the fourth-busiest rail station in the United States, after Pennsylvania Station , Grand Central Terminal , and Jamaica station in New York City , and

4500-841: The Erie Lackawanna Railway (EL) in 1960, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O) acquired control of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) in 1963, and the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W) absorbed several railroads, including the Nickel Plate and the Wabash, in 1964. Regulators also required the new company to incorporate the bankrupt New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (NH) and New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway (NYS&W); if neither

4625-568: The Malaysia – Thailand border, connections to State Railway of Thailand trains are available. KTM Intercity trains are diesel-powered and run on a single-track 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge system. The rail track is gradually being duplicated and electrified. On the completed Central to Northern section (border), KTM runs the higher-speed Electric Train Service (ETS). As of February 2020,

4750-543: The Ogilvie Transportation Center , LaSalle Street Station and Millennium Station – are all within walking distance of Union Station. Passengers connecting from Ogilvie can access Union Station's north platforms on the opposite side of Madison Street. Numerous CTA bus routes stop directly at Union Station: Union Station Transit Center is located adjacent to Union Station's parking garage. The bus station opened in 2016, on land formerly used for

4875-934: The Ontario Northland Railway , which operates passenger services between Cochrane and Moosonee in rural northern Ontario and luxury train operators such as the Royal Canadian Pacific and Rocky Mountaineer , which operate rail tours in Western Canada . In Mexico , the federal government discontinued almost all scheduled inter-city passenger trains in June 2001. Ferromex operates trains on three routes: Chihuahua City to Los Mochis , Torreón to Felipe Pescador , and Guadalajara to Amatitán . Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has proposed intercity trains, including from Mexico City to Toluca (construction began July 7, 2014),

5000-520: The Philippine National Railways does not have a regular inter-city rail service although the agency is planning on rebuilding new railway lines. Prior to the 1970s, the main island of Luzon had a relatively expansive narrow-gauge railway network, but government prioritization towards highway construction and the effects of multiple natural disasters gradually led to the decline and abandonment of most intercity rail services. Until

5125-666: The Regional Fast Rail is operational in Victoria . Current interurban and intercity journeys outside the suburban area are often locomotive-hauled, particularly for longer distance services, due to Victoria's lack of electrification outside of Melbourne. In New Zealand , there are currently three long-distance passenger services classed as inter-city: the Coastal Pacific , the Northern Explorer , and

Chicago Union Station - Misplaced Pages Continue

5250-585: The TGV (France), AVE (Spain), Treno Alta Velocità (Italy), Eurostar (United Kingdom–France and Belgium), Thalys (Netherlands–Belgium–Germany and France), Lyria (France-Switzerland), and Railjet (Germany-Austria–Czechia/Hungary). In Great Britain , the inter-city rail links are now operated by a number of private companies as well as Continental State owned railways such as Avanti West Coast , LNER , EMR , CrossCountry , TransPennine Express , Greater Anglia and GWR . Ireland 's inter-city rail network

5375-847: The TranzAlpine . Their slow average speed is limited by the rugged country traversed, particularly in the middle of the North Island , where the North Island Main Trunk has many sharp curves and steep gradients. Given these speeds, as well as the prioritization of the rail transport in New Zealand towards freight, these passenger services primarily cater the tourist market, similar to long-distance routes in Australia. Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company , commonly abbreviated to Penn Central ,

5500-458: The "bullet trains" on very fast and frequent Shinkansen lines that link all the larger cities, including Tokyo, Yokohama , Nagoya , Kyoto , Osaka , Hiroshima , Fukuoka and many more. Many other cities are covered by a network of JR's limited express inter-city trains on 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ), narrow gauge , lines. Major cities are covered by convenient train services of every one hour or more frequent. In addition to

5625-599: The 156 miles (251 km) of rail used by the Hudson and Harlem Lines , and Grand Central Terminal, as well as unused development rights above the tracks in Midtown Manhattan . The platforms and yards extend for several blocks north of the terminal building under numerous streets and existing buildings leasing air rights, including the MetLife Building and Waldorf-Astoria Hotel . In November 2018,

5750-536: The 2000s, PNR had two inter-city rail services: the Bicol Express and the Mayon Limited. The Bicol Express leaves Manila and passes through Manila, Pasay , and Muntinlupa and the provinces of Laguna , Quezon , and Camarines Sur before arriving at Naga . The trip takes 10 hours, or 600 minutes. The Mayon Limited connects Minola and Ligao in 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours. The Philippine government

5875-408: The Great Hall are numerous smaller spaces containing restaurants and services, and a wide passageway leading to the concourse. Above the main floor are several floors of office space, currently used by Amtrak. Original plans called for many more floors of offices, forming a skyscraper above the Great Hall. This was never completed, although the plan has been revived in recent years. The Burlington Room

6000-476: The Great Hall. The 2018–19 renovation restored the historic skylight to its original appearance, and added another glass skylight atop it. The new skylight is better-designed to prevent water and snow damage, and increases light entering the Great Hall. Inter-city rail Inter-city rail sometimes provides international services. This is most prevalent in Europe because of the proximity of its 50 countries to

6125-909: The Intercity trains provide a more economical means of long-distance rail travel within Italy. The night trains ( Intercity Notte ICN) have sleeper compartments and washrooms, but no showers on board. Main routes are Rome to Bolzano /Bozen (calling at Florence, Bologna, Verona , Rovereto and Trento ), Milan to Lecce (calling at Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Faenza, Forlì, Cesena, Rimini, Ancona, Pescara, Bari and Brindisi), Turin to Lecce (calling at Alessandria , Voghera , Piacenza , Parma, Bologna, Rimini, Pescara, Termoli, San Severo,Foggia, Barletta, Bisceglie, Molfetta, Bari, Monopoli, Fasano, Ostuni and Brindisi) and Reggio di Calabria to Turin (calling at Naples, Rome, Livorno , La Spezia and Genova). Most portions of these ICN services run during

6250-726: The JR Group, Japan has major private rail operators such as the Kintetsu , Meitetsu , Tobu Railway and Odakyu Electric Railway that operate "limited express" inter-city services. Inter-city railway services crossing the Hong Kong-China border (often known as through trains ) are jointly operated by Hong Kong's MTR Corporation Limited and the Ministry of Railways of the People's Republic of China . Currently, Hung Hom station

6375-607: The Legislative Council's Finance Committee. The line has been opened in 2018 with a new station West Kowloon Terminus in the city centre. Taiwan 's coastline is connected by frequent inter-city train services by Taiwan Railway Administration . Taiwan High Speed Rail, opened in 2007, covers the most populated west-coast corridor. Chinese：對號列車 There are Chu-kuang express (莒光號) and Tze-chiang limited express (自強號). Almost every major town and city in South Korea

SECTION 50

#1732793032730

6500-606: The Loop. Union Station was part of architect Daniel Burnham 's city-wide Plan of Chicago in 1909. On December 25, 1858, the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad opened as far as Van Buren Street in Chicago. It built the first station at what would eventually become today's Union Station on the west bank of the Chicago River . The railroad built a permanent depot at the corner of Canal and Madison streets in 1861. On April 7, 1874, five railroads agreed to build and share

6625-587: The MTA proposed purchasing the Hudson and Harlem Lines as well as the Grand Central Terminal for up to $ 35.065 million, plus a discount rate of 6.25%. The purchase would include all inventory, operations, improvements, and maintenance associated with each asset, except for the air rights over Grand Central. The MTA's finance committee approved the proposed purchase on November 13, 2018, and the purchase

6750-585: The Maine-New Hampshire border remained solvent. Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), Penn Central agreed to trial new technologies to revive the flagging passenger services on what would become the Northeast Corridor . PC continued to operate the PRR's Metroliner service between New York City and DC , and introduced a new United Aircraft TurboTrain between New York City and Boston . But

6875-648: The Maritimes on the Canadian and Ocean lines and by smaller trains to more remote areas of Canada. Much like the United States , Canada previously had a larger intercity rail network prior to the 1970s; certain major cities such as Calgary and Regina lack connections to the extant Via Rail network, and passenger rail usage outside of the Quebec City - Windsor Corridor is infrequent and geared towards

7000-594: The Midwest. Derailments and wrecks occurred regularly; when the trains avoided mishap, they operated far below design speed , resulting in delayed shipments and excessive overtime. Operating costs soared, and shippers soured on the products. In 1969, most of Maine's potato production rotted in the PC's Selkirk Yard , hurting the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad , whose shippers vowed never to ship by rail again. Although both PRR and NYC had been profitable pre-merger, Penn Central was — at one point — losing $ 1 million per day. As PC's management struggled to wrestle

7125-475: The N&W and C&O would buy the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV), then that railroad should be incorporated as well. Ultimately, only the New Haven successfully joined the Penn Central; the conglomerate failed before it could incorporate the latter two. The only railroad leaving the Penn Central was the PRR's controlling interest in the N&W, whose dividends had generated much of the PRR's premerger profitability. The legal merger (formally, an acquisition of

7250-421: The NYC by the PRR) concluded on February 1, 1968. The Pennsylvania Railroad, the nominal survivor of the merger, changed its name to Pennsylvania New York Central Transportation Company, and soon began using "Penn Central" as a trade name. That trade name became official a month later on May 8, 1968. Saunders later commented: "Because of the many years it took to consummate the merger, the morale of both railroads

7375-421: The PC in large measure). George Drury described the bankruptcy as "a cataclysmic event, both to the railroad industry and to the nation's business community," not least because Penn Central increasingly appeared the proverbial canary in the coal mine . Across the nation, railroads discontinued Penn Central's core business (passenger trains) as fast as regulators would let them. The Rock Island , midway through

7500-409: The Peninsular train from Yucatán to Riviera Maya , and the Mexico-Querétaro high-speed train from Puebla to Tlaxcala and Mexico City with future expansion to Guadalajara. In recent years, passenger trains have seen a revival, with the construction of the tourist-oriented Tren Maya route traversing the Yucatan Peninsula. There was a dense system of inter-city railways in the United States in

7625-428: The Penn Central Company. The first Penn Central Transportation Company (PCTC) was incorporated on April 1, 1969, and its stock was assigned to a new holding company called Penn Central Holding Company. On October 1, 1969, the Penn Central Company, the former Pennsylvania Railroad, absorbed the first PCTC and was renamed the second Penn Central Transportation Company the next day; the Penn Central Holding Company became

SECTION 60

#1732793032730

7750-433: The United States and two-thirds of the nation's rail riders live in New York City . The two busiest passenger rail stations in the United States are Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal , both in Manhattan , New York City. Passenger rail outside the Northeast, Northwest , California , and the Chicago metropolitan area is infrequent and rarely used relative to networks in Europe and Japan. Passenger lines in most of

7875-452: The United States are operated by the quasi-public corporation Amtrak. The separate Alaska Railroad , which is also government-owned, runs passenger trains in Alaska , and the privately owned Brightline rail service operates in Florida . The California High-Speed Rail system began construction in 2015 and aims to connect major job centers in California . Multiple new rail corridors have been identified for private development throughout

8000-404: The United States, Via Rail 's Canadian service in Canada, and the Indian Pacific in Australia are examples. Faster high-speed rail of at least 250 km (160 mi) per hour, such as the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway in China (1,300 km or 810 mi in 5 hours) and Tokyo-Sapporo in the proposed Hokkaido Shinkansen in Japan (1,030 km or 640 mi in 4 hours), may play

8125-536: The border to Kowloon , in Hong Kong . New high-speed lines from 200–350 km/h (124–217 mph) operation are constructed, and many conventional lines are also upgraded to 200 km/h (124 mph) operation. Currently there are seven High-Speed Inter-City lines in China , with up to 21 planned. They are operated independently from the often parallel High-Speed-Rail-Lines. Japan has six main regional passenger railway companies, known collectively as Japan Railways Group or simply as JR. Five JR companies operate

8250-480: The busiest outside of the Northeast Corridor . It handles about 140,000 passengers on an average weekday (including 10,000 Amtrak passengers). It has Bedford limestone Beaux-Arts facades, and an interior with massive Corinthian columns, marble floors, and a Great Hall, highlighted by brass lamps. The station connects to multiple transit authorities including the Chicago Transit Authority bus and Chicago L lines, Metra , Pace , Greyhound , and more either within

8375-557: The central lightwell, vehicular drives, the Great Hall, skylight, and select interior features – balconies, porticos, corridors, lobbies, and stairs. In 2010, Amtrak (the current owners of the Chicago Union Station Company) announced plans to air-condition the Great Hall for the first time since the 1960s. That year a Chicago Tribune investigation revealed high levels of diesel soot on the underground platforms of Union Station. Metra established an "Emissions Task Force" to study this problem and recommend solutions to improve air quality in

8500-488: The company into submission, the structural headwinds facing all northeastern railroads continued unabated. The industrial decline of the Rust Belt consumed shippers through the Northeast and Midwest . Penn Central's executives tried to diversify the troubled firm into real estate and other non-railroad ventures, but in a slow economy these businesses performed little better than the original railroad assets. Worse, these new subsidiaries diverted management attention away from

8625-406: The company operated as an independent, private-sector railroad from 1987 to 1999. The Pennsylvania Railroad absorbed the New York Central Railroad on February 1, 1968, and at the same time changed its name to Pennsylvania New York Central Transportation Company to reflect this. The trade name of "Penn Central" was adopted, and, on May 8, the former Pennsylvania Railroad was officially renamed

8750-490: The company owned when Conrail was created were the Buckeye Pipeline and a 24 percent stake in Madison Square Garden (which stands above Penn Station) and its prime tenants, the New York Knicks basketball team and New York Rangers hockey team, along with Six Flags Theme Parks. Though the company retained ownership of some rights-of-way and station properties connected with the railroads, it continued to liquidate these and eventually concentrated on one of its subsidiaries in

8875-416: The company. In the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, the federal government nationalized Penn Central to save it. For two years, the United States Railway Association sorted through the assets of PC (and six other bankrupt railroads: EL, LV, Reading , Lehigh & Hudson River Railway , Central Railroad of New Jersey and Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines ) to decide what could be reshaped into

9000-579: The competitors instead, joining them with lesser partners end-to-end. The unexpected NYC+PRR proposal required all the northeastern railroads to reconsider their corporate strategy, clouding the waters for the ICC. The resulting negotiations took nearly a decade, and when the PRR and NYC merged, they faced three competitors of comparable size: the Erie had merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western to create

9125-877: The country. These include the Brightline West corridor from Las Vegas to Los Angeles , California, the Texas Central Railway between Dallas and Houston in Texas , and others. In Australia , the national interstate network operated by Journey Beyond connects all mainland Australian capital cities except Canberra . However, it is catered towards the luxury tourism market. NSW TrainLink operates interstate services from Sydney to Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. Intrastate inter-city trains that traverse shorter distances are operated by V/Line , NSW TrainLink, Sydney Trains , Queensland Rail and Transwa . The fastest intercity trains in regular service have

9250-477: The densely-populated northeast traditionally depended on a heterogeneous mix of services, including: These labor-intensive, short-haul services proved vulnerable to competition from automobiles, buses, and trucks , a threat recently invigorated by the new limited-access highways authorized in the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 . At the same time, contemporary railroad regulation restricted

9375-422: The east side of the station building. The full-service Greyhound station is four blocks southwest of Union Station. Union Station was served by lines in all directions even before Penn Central and Amtrak consolidated the downtown terminals. The station served as a terminal for the following railroads: Some of these trains and their names have survived to present Amtrak services, such as the Empire Builder ,

9500-674: The extent to which U.S. railroads could react to the new market conditions. Changes to passenger fares and freight shipment rates required approval from the capricious Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), as did mergers or abandonment of lines. Merger, which eliminated duplicative back office employees, seemed an escape. The situation was particularly acute for the Pennsylvania (PRR) and New York Central (NYC) railroads. Both had extensive physical plants dedicated to their passenger custom. As that revenue stream faded following WWII , neither could slim their assets fast enough to earn

9625-427: The flow of traffic in and out of the station. Actual oversight and control of switching and signalling is accomplished by two "train director" positions, one for each side of the station, located in the Amtrak control center in the station's headhouse. Numerous entrances provide access to Union Station's underground platform level. The main entrance is on Canal Street opposite the headhouse, but passengers can also reach

9750-493: The four major metropolitan areas of Israel : Tel Aviv , Jerusalem , Be'er Sheva , and Haifa . However, due to the small geography of Israel, most of the railway services have a more suburban service pattern, with many short stops at stations between the major city centres. In Europe, many long-distance inter-city trains are operated under the InterCity (often simply IC) brand. InterCity (or, initially, "Inter-City" with

9875-459: The fourth was reproduced. An original mirror and banister were added to the room's north end. The space was improved for events with color-changing lights and an audiovisual system. In 2016, Amtrak held a competition for renovations and development of Union Station. The winner, Riverside Investment & Development Co., proposed multiple changes, including new retail, a food hall, and two 12-story towers. The plans followed an unrealized 2007 plan for

10000-475: The history of the often-scorned company. As part of Norfolk Southern Railway 's 30th anniversary, the railroad painted 20 new locomotives utilizing former liveries of predecessor railroads. Unit number 1073, a SD70ACe, is painted in a Penn Central Heritage scheme. As part of the 40th anniversary of the Metro-North Railroad , four locomotives were painted in a different heritage scheme to honor

10125-596: The insurance business. The former Pennsylvania Railroad changed its name to American Premier Underwriters in March 1994. It became part of Carl Lindner 's Cincinnati financial empire American Financial Group . Until late 2006, American Financial Group still owned Grand Central Terminal , though all railroad operations were managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The U.S. Surface Transportation Board approved

10250-630: The largest bankruptcy in U.S. history at the time. The Penn Central's railroad assets were nationalized into Conrail along with the other bankrupt northeastern roads; its real estate and insurance holdings successfully reorganized into American Premier Underwriters . The Penn Central railroad system developed in response to challenges facing northeastern American railroads during the late 1960s. While railroads elsewhere in North America drew revenues from long-distance shipments of commodities such as coal, lumber, paper and iron ore , railroads in

10375-550: The late 19th and early 20th centuries. After the decline of passenger railroads in North America in the 1960s, the inter-city lines decreased greatly and today the national system is far less dense. The most heavily used routes with the greatest ridership and schedule frequencies are in the Northeastern United States on Amtrak 's Northeast Corridor . About one in every three users of mass transit in

10500-517: The most complicated architectural programs of the era called the " American Renaissance ", combining traditional architecture with engineering technology, circulation patterning and urban planning . Union Station was hailed as an outstanding achievement in railroad facility planning at the time. During World War II , Union Station was at its busiest, handling as many as 300 trains and 100,000 passengers daily, many of them soldiers. Illustrator Norman Rockwell captured this era with his cover painting for

10625-538: The national government. As of 2018, foreign services operate on the Polish Railways network. These include EuroCity and EuroNight trains operating between Western and Eastern European destinations, including by the EN 440/441 from Berlin via Warsaw to Moscow operated by Talgo train of Russian Railways company. In 2019, new nightjet train from Wien to Berlin via Ostrava (CZ) and Wroclaw (PL) starts

10750-470: The new corporation's management. As ex-PRR managers began to secure the plum jobs, the forward-thinking ex-NYC managers departed for greener pastures. Clashing union contracts prevented the company's left hand from talking to its right, and incompatible computer systems meant that PC classification clerks regularly lost track of train movements. Subpar track conditions, the result of years of deferred maintenance , deteriorated further, particularly in

10875-491: The new equipment proved useless without high-quality track to run it on, or a railroad capable of releasing schedules to the ticket-seeking public. In response, the Nixon administration developed Amtrak , which relieved any railroad that desired it of the obligation to operate passenger service. PC unsuccessfully attempted to sell-off the air rights to Grand Central Terminal , and allow developers to build skyscrapers above

11000-471: The night; since most services take 10 to 15 hours to complete a one-way journey, their day-time portion provide extra train connections to complement with the Intercity services. The Polish State Railways (PKP), a state-owned corporate group, is the main provider of railway services. The PKP group holds an almost unrivaled monopoly over rail services in Poland since it is both supported and partly funded by

11125-438: The north and south side, including one with a platform to allow extra long trains to board. Between the north and south sides of the station is a passenger concourse. Passengers can walk through the concourse to get from any platform to any other without stairs or elevators. Odd-numbered platforms (1–19) are on the north half of the station, and even-numbered platforms (2–30) on the south half. The north tracks are used by Amtrak for

11250-478: The old PC assets back to life. During the 1980s, the deregulated Conrail had the muscle to implement the route reorganization and productivity improvements that the PC had unsuccessfully tried to implement between 1968 and 1970. Hundred of miles of former PRR and NYC trackage were abandoned to adjacent landowners or rail trail use. The stock of the subsequently-profitable Conrail was refloated on Wall Street in 1987, and

11375-548: The original agreement, considered switching to the new station from its Wells Street Station but deferred instead. In 1911 it built the Chicago and North Western Passenger Terminal for its operations. The remaining four original companies used the station when it opened in 1881. The headhouse of the Union Depot, a narrow building, fronted onto Canal Street and stretched from Madison Street to Adams Street. Tracks led into

11500-671: The platforms directly from the headhouse via an underground passageway. Two secondary entrances are located in Riverside Plaza near the Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street bridges. On Madison Street, across the street, and one block east from Ogilvie Transportation Center , are a set of entrances to the north platforms. Union Station was designed by D. H. Burnham & Company (known for its lead architect Daniel Burnham , who died before construction began). The successor firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White completed

11625-421: The problems in the core business. To create the illusion of success, management also insisted on paying dividends to shareholders, desperately borrowing funds to buy time for the business to turn around. Within two years, Penn Central could no longer remain solvent, and, on June 21, 1970, the nation's sixth-largest corporation had become its largest bankruptcy. (The Enron Corporation 's 2001 bankruptcy eclipsed

11750-572: The project. The architectural firm was D. H. Burnham & Company (known for its lead architect Daniel Burnham , who died before construction began). The successor firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White completed the work. Work began on the massive project in 1913, and required purchasing adjacent properties and moving freight facilities. Construction stalled during World War I , and resumed in 1919. The station finally opened on May 16, 1925, twelve years after construction began; some viaduct work continued into 1927. The construction cost, funded by

11875-588: The railroad companies involved, was projected to be $ 65 million, but ended up costing $ 75 million. Construction was delayed several times by World War I, labor shortages and strikes. The construction of the station also involved the demolition and relocation of some previously existing buildings such as the Butler Brothers Warehouse along the Chicago River. It is one of about a dozen monumental Beaux-Arts railroad stations that were among

12000-486: The railroads. The statue Night holds an owl, while Day holds a rooster. The Chicago Union Station Power House is a decommissioned coal-fire power plant that provided power to Union Station and its surrounding infrastructure. Located on the Chicago River, north of Roosevelt Road , it was designed in the Art Moderne style by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White in 1931. The power plant was decommissioned in 2011. It

12125-512: The railway network in India is the third-largest in the world (after Russia and China) and the largest in the world in terms of passenger kilometres. The Vande Bharat Express , Gatimaan Express , Tejas Express , Tejas-Rajdhani Express , Rajdhani Express , Shatabdi Express , Jan Shatabdi Express and Duronto Express are the fastest inter-city services in India; of these, the Vande Bharat

12250-422: The room for travelers to wait for connections, and two specially-designed underground taxicab drives were built to protect travelers from the weather. The room's columns are of textured Roman travertine, with leafy golden Corinthian capitals. The ceilings and insets are coffered, with decorative rosettes. Two statues by Henry Hering — Night and Day — look down on passengers, symbolizing the 24-hour operation of

12375-409: The room was renovated and reopened. An architecture firm removed wooden decking that divided the space into two floors, and took out a drop ceiling that defaced the original ornate ceiling. The work restored the room's columns and chandeliers, including creating several replica chandeliers. The room also has four French block murals of landscape scenery; three of the four were cleaned and preserved, while

12500-509: The sale of several of American Financial Group's remaining railroad assets to Midtown TDR Ventures LLC, an investment group controlled by Argent Ventures , in December 2006. The current lease with the MTA was negotiated to last through February 28, 2274. The MTA paid $ 2.4 million annually in rent in 2007 and had an option to buy the station and tracks in 2017, although Argent could extend the date another 15 years to 2032. The assets included

12625-409: The second PCTC, gave up its railroad assets to Conrail in 1976 and absorbed its legal owner, the second Penn Central Company, in 1978, and at the same time changed its name to The Penn Central Corporation . In the 1970s and 1980s, the company now called The Penn Central Corporation was a small conglomerate that largely consisted of the diversified sub-firms it had before the crash. Among the properties

12750-489: The second Penn Central Company. Thus, the company that was formerly the Pennsylvania Railroad became the first Penn Central Company and then became the second PCTC. The old Pennsylvania Company , a holding company chartered in 1870, reincorporated in 1958 and long a subsidiary of the PRR, remained a separate corporate entity throughout the period following the merger. The former Pennsylvania Railroad, now

12875-542: The service. "source 1" . 8 May 2018. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .. Russia has a dense network of long-distance railways all over its vast territory, the longest and most famous being the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok . Long-distance train routes of more than 1,000 or 2,000 km (621 or 1,243 mi) are common, with many trips taking two or three days. Speed

13000-750: The share of railway for such longer-distance journeys. The Paris-Marseille TGV (750 km or 466 mi in 3 hours) and Tokyo-Aomori Shinkansen (675 km or 419 mi in 2 hours 59 minutes) are examples of this type of journey. In conventional non high-speed rail, overnight trains are common for this distance. In some countries with a dense rail network, large territory, or less air and car transport, such as China, India, and Russia, overnight long-distance train services are provided and used practically. In many other countries, such long-distance rail journey has been replaced by air travel except for tourism or hobbyist purposes, luxury train journeys, or significant cost benefit. Amtrak long-distance services in

13125-534: The shares of Chicago Union Station Company held by Burlington Northern (successor to the Burlington Route) and the Milwaukee Road, becoming sole owner of the station. In the 1990s, Lucien Lagrange Associates made some patchwork renovations, including to the Great Hall and its skylight, which had been blacked-out since World War II. Restoration of Union Station continued. Numerous spaces within

13250-642: The space of the previous lounge. It features different seating areas intended for businesspeople, families and children, and people using phones or tablets. The space has bathrooms with showers, and an elevator. Union Station is laid out with a double stub-end configuration, with 10 tracks coming into the station from the north and 14 from the south. Unlike most of Amtrak's major stations, every train calling at Union Station either originates or terminates there; all passengers traveling through Chicago must change trains to reach their final destination. There are two through tracks to allow out-of-service equipment moves between

13375-491: The station from the south, and platforms occupied a strip of land between the back of the headhouse and the bank of the Chicago River. South of the station, Adams, Jackson, and Van Buren Streets rose over the tracks and the river on bridges. The station, along with its successor, was effectively two back-to-back stub-end terminals. Virtually all trains arriving would terminate there, and passengers traveling further would need to change trains. Growth in passenger traffic, as well as

13500-546: The station had yet to be renovated, and many sat unused, especially within the station building. After the September 11, 2001 attacks , Amtrak closed the pair of taxicab drives in the name of security. Passenger traffic has increased and is exceeding the design capacity of the 1991 renovation. On May 1, 2002, the station was designated a Chicago Landmark , protecting its exterior, rooflines, and public interior spaces from alterations. The status protects all exteriors, rooflines,

13625-409: The station or within walking distance. Chicago Union Station is named a union station , like many train stations across the United States that were shared by several railroad companies. The station is the third union station to occupy the site between West Adams Street and West Jackson Boulevard. The station is known by the acronym CUS, as well as by its Amtrak station code CHI. Chicago Union Station

13750-693: The station, aiming to accommodate the expected 40 percent growth in passengers by 2040. In the following year, city agencies joined to publish a master plan for renovating and improving Union Station. Short-term goals were to improve station entrances and expand waiting rooms, as well as enhance bus lanes on Clinton and Canal Streets and create a bus terminal (completed in 2016). Goals for the next five to ten years included widening commuter platforms, using unutilized mail platforms (including an extra-long through platform) for intercity passenger trains, adding more through tracks and platforms, reorganizing facilities for better capacity and flow, increasing height clearances of

13875-492: The station, including opening up long-closed spaces and replacing the worn staircases with marble from the original quarry near Rome . In 2016, the women's lounge was restored, renamed the Burlington Room, and opened for use as an events space. The space was initially a women's lounge, and later became an Amtrak warehouse. It then suffered years of neglect and water damage, and was eventually closed off. In November 2016,

14000-491: The structure the world's largest post office. The large amount of land above the tracks and platforms has tempted property owners and developers. Possibly inspired by Terminal City , a development built atop New York's Grand Central Terminal 's train shed, Chicago moved to develop the air rights above Union Station's tracks. The first building to be built was that of the Chicago Daily News in 1929. Designed in

14125-431: The terminal, in order to fund continued operations. The resulting lawsuit, Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City , was decided in 1978, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that PC could not sell Grand Central's air rights because the terminal was a New York City designated landmark . In May 1974, the bankruptcy court concluded that the railroad operations of PC could never provide enough income to reorganize

14250-609: The tourism market. International trains, run jointly by Amtrak and Via Rail, connect New York City with Toronto . Amtrak also operates the Adirondack between New York City and Montreal , and the Amtrak Cascades service linking Vancouver and Seattle . In addition, the White Pass and Yukon Route links Skagway and Whitehorse on an isolated northern route. Other inter-city passenger rail operators include

14375-409: The tracks, and improving street access to and from the station. Long-term, proposals include increasing capacity and improving the ambiance of the station by significantly expanding or replacing station facilities in the 200 or 300 blocks of South Canal Street. Adding track and platform capacity along Clinton Street or Canal Street was also analyzed. In June 2015, Amtrak announced that it would renovate

14500-441: The train shed and tracks from Union Station north to Fulton Street and south to Polk Street is enclosed by overhead development. Chicago Union Station's train shed, covered by buildings built above the tracks, helped lead locomotives to funnel significant soot and smoke in and around the station. This was unlike Grand Central Terminal, which has only allowed electric trains into its trainshed since opening. The current Union Station

14625-401: The underground areas. In 2011, its lighting system was replaced with more energy-efficient light bulbs and motion sensors, reducing the station's annual carbon emissions by 4 million tons. Custom steel lighting covers were added to top these safety/light towers, helping them blend in with the overall neoclassical style of the station. In 2011, the city held a public meeting to discuss goals for

14750-407: The vaulted roof, and several stairways led passengers down to the platforms. The concourse was demolished in 1969 and replaced with an office tower. At the building's center is the Great Hall, a 110-foot (34 m)-high atrium capped by a large barrel-vaulted skylight. The 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m) room has connecting lobbies, staircases, and balconies. Enormous wooden benches are arranged in

14875-451: The work. The terminal was among the first to anticipate automobile traffic; it was first designed in 1909, one year after the Model T entered production. It was designed with ticket offices, concourses, platforms, waiting and baggage rooms, and shops, all on a single level, meant to be easy to navigate. At opening, the terminal also housed a hospital, chapel, and jail cell. The main building,

15000-454: Was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania , New York Central and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads), all united by large-scale service into the New York metropolitan area and (to a lesser extent) New England and Chicago. The new company failed barely two years after formation,

15125-476: Was approved by the full board two days later. The deal finally closed in March 2020, with the MTA taking ownership of the terminal and rail lines. Few railroad historians and former employees view the mega-railroad's brief existence favorably, and the company has little presence in the railroad enthusiast press. The preservation group Penn Central Railroad Historical Society was formed in July 2000 to preserve

15250-404: Was badly disrupted and they were faced with unmanageable problems which were insurmountable. In addition to overcoming obstacles, the principal problem was too much governmental regulation and a passenger deficit which amounted to more than $ 100 million a year." Almost immediately after the transaction cleared, the organizational headwinds presaged during the merger negotiations began to overwhelm

15375-402: Was constructed beneath the tower. In May 1971, the national railroad Amtrak was formed to take over long-distance passenger train service, while commuter trains remained privately operated. In 1980, the station's Fred Harvey restaurant experienced a large fire. The space was damaged, windows on Clinton Street were destroyed, and the space was left vacant since then. In 1984, Amtrak bought out

15500-591: Was included in Preservation Chicago 's 7 Most Endangered list in 2017 and 2020, as Amtrak has plans to demolish the building. The same architecture firm that designed Union Station also designed the Old Chicago Main Post Office , a post office atop the station's southern tracks. The post office, opened four years before Union Station, utilized the rail system, funneling mail to and from the trains below. An expansion in 1932 made

15625-429: Was planned to open in the summer of 2020. The headhouse also includes a Metropolitan Lounge, one of seven Amtrak offers in its stations. The lounge operates like an airport lounge , accessible to business- and first-class passengers, as well as other high-price ticketed passengers. The lounge reopened in June 2016, moving from the concourse to the headhouse. It has two stories and 13,500 square feet (1,250 m), double

#729270