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52-680: In 2021, the facility had the second-highest ridership in Illinois, behind Chicago Union Station and ahead of Uptown Station in Bloomington, with just over 103,000 passengers serviced. Owned by the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District , the building also houses a Subway restaurant and the offices of the Junior League , as well as a school, meeting spaces, and banquet halls. It formerly housed

104-558: 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

156-499: 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

208-563: 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 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

260-588: 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

312-415: A space formerly used as 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

364-417: 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

416-466: 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

468-400: Is the Great Hall, the main waiting room. Arrayed around 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

520-668: 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

572-557: 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 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

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624-574: 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 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

676-742: 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

728-514: The 1960s, work began on Gateway Center, 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,

780-550: The 24-hour operation of 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

832-863: The Champaign office for Mike Frerichs when he represented Champaign-Urbana in the Illinois Senate . Illinois Terminal was built with funds provided by the Federal Transit Administration , Illinois Department of Transportation , the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District and the city of Champaign, and was named for the Illinois Terminal Railroad , an electric interurban line that ran from Champaign, and at one time extended as far as St. Louis. The track and platforms of

884-694: The Illinois Terminal are owned by the Canadian National Railway , which acquired the Illinois Central Railroad in 1999. Previously, trains stopped at the Illinois Central Railroad Depot, built in 1925 across University Avenue from the site of the current station. The previous 1899 station still stands, further up the line a few blocks. There is a short term parking lot in front of the building with long term parking available off Water Street east of

936-607: 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

988-520: The bricked-up windows. The food hall 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

1040-536: 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 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

1092-644: 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

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1144-624: 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 , 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

1196-714: 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 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

1248-463: The entire length of 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

1300-480: 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

1352-460: 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

1404-656: 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 – 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

1456-517: 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

1508-439: 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

1560-401: 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 a surface parking lot. It features an elevator and stairway to the Amtrak underground pedestrian tunnel, allowing commuters to pass between Union Station and

1612-549: 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

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1664-501: The plan has been revived in recent years. The Burlington Room 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

1716-671: 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

1768-575: 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

1820-526: 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

1872-399: 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

1924-409: 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

1976-536: 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

2028-644: 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

2080-492: 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

2132-550: 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,

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2184-695: 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

2236-494: 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,

2288-410: 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

2340-574: The tracks. The facility is used by the following transportation companies: [REDACTED] Media related to Illinois Terminal at Wikimedia Commons Chicago Union Station 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

2392-409: The trains below. An expansion in 1932 made 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

2444-404: 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

2496-409: 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

2548-452: 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,

2600-405: 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

2652-586: Was decommissioned in 2011. It 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

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2704-664: Was that of the Chicago Daily News in 1929. Designed in 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

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