Reimagining the Midwest’s Transportation Hub: the Future of Chicago Union Station

Amtrak’s Chicago Union Station (CUS) is the nation’s 3rd busiest rail station, and the busiest in Chicago. CUS accommodates over 300 trains and nearly 150,000 passengers every weekday.  With such heavy usage, the station is now operating at or above capacity during peak periods. In 2012 the City of Chicago completed a CUS master plan which identified 14 specific improvements to improve circulation and safety, increase train and passenger capacity, enhance customer experience, and improve intermodal connectivity.

These were further advanced to preliminary design as part of a recently completed “Phase 1A” effort. Amtrak and its partners are currently looking for opportunities to move individual projects to final design and, eventually, construction. The old High-Level Mail Platform is one of the most critical of these projects and is currently under further study.

Amtrak has also initiated a Master Development Program at its major stations to attract world-class developers, investors, architects and engineers to maximize the value of Amtrak’s portfolio of real estate assets at and around its largest stations. CUS is the first of our stations to embark on this public-private partnership. The Master Developer will not only drive value and reimagine the potential of CUS and its surroundings, but they will provide significant customer amenities and help Amtrak self-fund the Master Plan improvements.