View source for Chicago Union Station

{{Redirect-distinguish2|Chicago station|[[Chicago station (CTA Red Line)|Chicago/State]], [[Chicago station (CTA Blue Line)|Chicago/Milwaukee]], or [[Chicago station (CTA Brown and Purple Lines)|Chicago/Franklin]]}}
{{short description|Intercity and commuter terminal in Chicago}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Chicago Union Station
| style = Amtrak
| type = [[File:Chicago Union Station logo.svg|280px|center|alt=Logo of Chicago Union Station]] [[Amtrak]] [[inter-city rail|intercity]] and [[Metra]] [[commuter rail]] terminal
| image = Chicago Union Station.jpg
| alt = Limestone facade of the station's headhouse
| caption = 
| address = 225 South Canal Street,<br/>[[Chicago, Illinois]]
| owned = [[Amtrak]]
| operator = [[Amtrak]], [[Metra]]
| line = <!-- None -->
| platforms = 30 [[island platform]]s
| tracks = 24 (14 South Concourse, 10 North Concourse)<ref name="facts"/>
| train_operators = 
| connections = [[Chicago "L"]]: 
*{{cta|Clinton|Blue}} ([[Blue Line (CTA)|Blue Line]])
*{{cta|Quincy}} ([[The Loop (CTA)|The Loop]])
<hr/>
{{bus icon}} [[List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes|CTA Buses]], [[Amtrak Thruway]], [[Pace (transit)|Pace]], [[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]], [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]]
| parking = Paid
| bicycle = 3 [[Divvy]] bikeshare stations
| disabled = Yes
| code = {{Amtrak code|CHI}}
| zone = A ([[Metra]])
| website = {{url|chicagounionstation.com}}
| opened = {{Start date|1925|05|16|mf=y}}
| closed = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} -->
| mpassengers = {{rail pass box |system=Amtrak |passengers={{Amtrak ridership|Chicago}}{{Amtrak ridership|citationIL}}|pass_year={{Amtrak ridership|date}} }}
| services_collapsible = yes
| services = {{Adjacent stations|system1=Amtrak
|line1=Blue Water|right1=New Buffalo
|line2=Capitol Limited|right2=South Bend
|line3=Cardinal|right3=Dyer
|line4=Lake Shore Limited|right4=South Bend
|line5=Pere Marquette|right5=St. Joseph
|line6=Wolverine|right6=Hammond–Whiting
|line7=California Zephyr|left7=Naperville
|line8=City of New Orleans|left8=Homewood
|line9=Empire Builder|left9=Glenview
|line10=Hiawatha|left10=Glenview
|line11=Carl Sandburg/Illinois Zephyr|left11=La Grange Road
|line12=Lincoln Service|left12=Summit
|line13=Saluki/Illini|left13=Homewood
|line14=Southwest Chief|left14=Naperville
|line15=Texas Eagle|left15=Joliet
|system16=Metra
|line16=SouthWest Service|left16=Wrightwood|note-mid16=Monday-Friday<!--Saturday-->
|line17=Heritage Corridor|left17=Summit|note-mid17=Weekday rush hours
|line18=BNSF Railway|left18=Halsted Street|note-left18=Weekday limited
|line19=Milwaukee District/West|left19=Western Avenue
|line20=North Central|left20=Western Avenue|note-mid20=Monday-Friday
|line21=Milwaukee District/North|left21=Western Avenue
}}
| other_services_header = Former services
| other_services_collapsible = yes
| other_services = {{Adjacent stations|system=Amtrak
|line4=Hoosier State|right4=Dyer
|line5=Kentucky Cardinal|right5=Dyer|note-mid5=Discontinued in 2003
|line6=Pennsylvanian|to-right6=Philadelphia|right6=Hammond–Whiting|note-mid6=1998–2003
|line7=Three Rivers|right7=Hammond–Whiting|note-mid7=1995–2005
|line8=International|right8=Hammond–Whiting|note-right8=1982–2001
|line9=International|right9=Niles|note-right9=2001–2004
|line10=Lake Cities|right10=Hammond–Whiting|note-mid10=1980–2004
|line11=Twilight Limited|right11=Hammond–Whiting|note-mid11=1976–2004
|line12=Broadway Limited|right12=Hammond–Whiting|note-mid12=Discontinued in 1995
|line13=Lake Shore|right13=South Bend
|line14=Calumet|right14=Hammond–Whiting
|line15=Mountaineer|right15=Peru|note-mid15=1975–1977
|line16=James Whitcomb Riley|right16=Peru|note-mid16=1974–1977|to-right16=Washington, D.C.
|line17=James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington|right17=Homewood|note-mid17=1972–1974
|line18=Floridian|right18=Logansport|to-right18=St. Petersburg or Miami|note-right18=1971–1975
|line19=Floridian|right19=Lafayette|to-right19=St. Petersburg or Miami|note-right19=1975–1979
|line20=Black Hawk (1974–1981)|left20=Elmhurst
|line21=Lone Star|left21=Joliet Union Station|note-mid21=Discontinued in 1979
|line22=Inter-American|left22=Joliet Union Station|note-mid22=Discontinued in 1981
|line23=Desert Wind|left23=Naperville|note-mid23=Discontinued in 1997
|line24=Pioneer|left24=Naperville|note-mid24=Discontinued in 1997
|line25=North Coast Hiawatha|left25=Glenview|note-mid25=Discontinued in 1979
|system26=Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|line26=main|left26=La Grange
|line27=Minneapolis-Chicago|left27=La Grange
|line28=Suburban|left28=Halsted Street
|system29=Milwaukee Road
|line29=main|left29=Western Avenue
|line30=Omaha|left30=Western Avenue
|line31=Chicago-Milwaukee|left31=Western Avenue
|line32=North|left32=Western Avenue
|line33=West|left33=Western Avenue
|line34=Evanston|left34=Fullerton Avenue
|system35=Pennsylvania Railroad
|line35=main|right35=Englewood
|line36=Valparaiso Local|right36=Englewood
|line37=Chicago-Columbus|right37=Englewood
|line38=Chicago-Cincinnati|right38=Englewood
|line39=Chicago-Louisville|right39=Englewood
|system40=Alton Railroad
|line40=Main|left40=Halsted Street
|system41=Norfolk and Western Railway
|line41=Orland Park Cannonball|left41=47th Street
}}
| other_services2_header = Future services
| other_services2_collapsible = yes
| other_services2 = {{Adjacent stations
|system1=Amtrak
|line1=Black Hawk|left1=Elgin
|line2=Quad Cities|left2=La Grange
}}
| embedded = {{Infobox historic site
| embed          = yes
| name           = Chicago Union Station
| type           = 
| coordinates    = {{Wikidatacoord|Q1155989|type:railwaystation_region:US-IL|display=inline,title}}
| location       = 
| area           = 
| built          = 
| architect      = [[D. H. Burnham & Company]] and successors
| architecture   = [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]]
| governing_body = 
| owner          = 
| designation1            = Chicago
| designation1_date       = May 1, 2002
| designation1_number     = 
| image_map               = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=300|frame-height=180|zoom=11|type=point|title=Chicago Union Station|description=|marker=town-hall}}
| image_map_caption       = Interactive map highlighting Chicago Union Station
}}
}}
'''Chicago Union Station''' is an [[Inter-city rail|intercity]] and [[commuter rail]] [[terminal station|terminal]] located in the [[Near West Side, Chicago|Near West Side]] neighborhood of [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. The station is [[Amtrak]]'s flagship station in the [[Midwest]]. While serving long-distance passenger trains, it is also the downtown terminus for six [[Metra]] commuter lines. The 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 block]]s (mostly underground, buried beneath streets and skyscrapers).

The present Chicago Union Station opened in 1925, replacing an earlier station on this site built in 1881. The station is the [[List of busiest railway stations in North America|fourth-busiest]] rail terminal in the United States, after [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Pennsylvania Station]], [[Grand Central Terminal]], and [[Jamaica station]] in [[New York City]]. It is Amtrak's overall [[List of busiest Amtrak stations|fourth-busiest]] station,<ref name="Amtrak busiest">{{cite web |title= Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2017, State of Illinois|publisher= [[Amtrak]] |date= November 2017 |url= https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/statefactsheets/ILLINOIS17.pdf |access-date= 23 December 2017}} and 120,000 daily Metra riders</ref> and the busiest outside of its [[Northeast Corridor]]. It handles about 140,000 passengers on an average weekday (including 10,000 Amtrak passengers) and is one of Chicago's most iconic structures, reflecting the city's strong architectural heritage and historic achievements.<ref name="cityofchicago.org">{{cite press release|publisher = City of Chicago|title=Chicago Union Station Master Plan Study Completed|url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/future_projects_andconcepts/news/2012/may/chicago_union_stationmasterplanstudycompleted.html|date=May 23, 2012|access-date=February 11, 2013}}</ref> It has [[Indiana Limestone|Bedford limestone]] [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] facades, massive Corinthian columns, marble floors, and a Great Hall, all highlighted by brass lamps.<ref name="planning.org">{{cite web | publisher = American Planning Association | work = Great Places in America: Public Spaces | title = 2012 Great Public Spaces | url = http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/spaces/2012/ | access-date = February 11, 2013}}</ref>

Chicago Union Station provides direct connections to multiple transit authorities including the [[Chicago Transit Authority]] bus and [[Chicago L]] lines, [[Metra]], [[Pace (transit)|Pace]], [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]], and more within the station or within walking distance.

==Name==
Chicago Union Station is named a [[union station]], like many train stations across the United States that were shared by several railroad companies.<ref name="Blasius"/> 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.

==Location==
Chicago Union Station is situated in the [[West Loop Gate]] neighborhood of the Near West Side of Chicago, just west of Chicago's [[Chicago Loop|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.<ref name="Solomon"/>

==Services==
[[File:Union Station new approaches.svg|thumb|left|200px|Union Station serves as a terminal for all [[Amtrak]] trains to Chicago (orange), as well as several [[Metra]] lines (green). Thin black lines represent former Amtrak routings.]]

===Amtrak===
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*''[[Blue Water (train)|Blue Water]]'' (Chicago – Port Huron, Michigan)
*''[[California Zephyr]]'' (Chicago – Emeryville)
*''[[Capitol Limited (Amtrak train)|Capitol Limited]]'' (Chicago – Washington DC)
*''[[Cardinal (Amtrak)|Cardinal]]'' (Chicago – New York)
*''[[City of New Orleans (train)|City of New Orleans]]'' (Chicago – New Orleans)
*''[[Empire Builder (train)|Empire Builder]]'' (Chicago – Portland/Seattle)
*''[[Hiawatha Service]]'' (Chicago – Milwaukee)
*[[Illini and Saluki|''Illini'' and ''Saluki'']] (Chicago – Carbondale, Illinois)
*[[Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg|''Illinois Zephyr'' and ''Carl Sandburg'']] (Chicago – Quincy)
*''[[Lake Shore Limited]]'' (Chicago – New York/Boston)
*''[[Lincoln Service]]'' (Chicago – St. Louis)
*''[[Pere Marquette (Amtrak train)|Pere Marquette]]'' (Chicago – Grand Rapids)
*''[[Southwest Chief]]'' (Chicago – Los Angeles)
*''[[Texas Eagle]]'' (Chicago – San Antonio/Los Angeles)
*''[[Wolverine (train)|Wolverine]]'' (Chicago – Pontiac)
{{div col end}}

===Metra===
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[BNSF Line]]
* [[Heritage Corridor]]
* [[Milwaukee District North Line]]
* [[Milwaukee District West Line]]
* [[North Central Service]]
* [[SouthWest Service]]
{{div col end}}

===Connections===
====Local rail service====
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.

*{{cta|Clinton|Blue}} (two blocks south of the station): {{rint|chicago|cta}} {{rint|chicago|blue}}
*{{cta|Quincy}} (three blocks east of the station, on [[The Loop (CTA)|The Loop]]): {{rint|chicago|cta}} {{rint|chicago|Brown}}, {{rint|chicago|Orange}}, {{rint|chicago|Pink}}, and {{rint|chicago|Purple}}

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 the opposite side of Madison Street.

====Bus service====
[[File:Union Station Transit Center, December 2018.JPG|thumb|Union Station Transit Center and station garage]]
Numerous [[List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes|CTA bus routes]] stop directly at Union Station:<ref name="CTA">{{cite web |title=Travel: Chicago Transit Authority|website=Chicago Union Station|url=https://chicagounionstation.com/travel/chicago-transit-authority?location=3-concourse-bus-stop-1-121|access-date=March 17, 2020}}</ref>

* Union Station Transit Center: 1, 28, 121, 124, 128, 151, 156
* West side of Clinton, north side of block: 125, 130, 192
* West side of Clinton, south side of block: 7, 60, 157
* Southwest corner of Clinton/Jackson: 126, 754, 755 ([[Pace (transit)|Pace]])

Union Station Transit Center is located adjacent to Union Station's parking garage.<ref>{{cite news|title=Union Station transit center work to impact West Loop traffic|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-union-station-traffic-met-0507-20150506-story.html|access-date=21 June 2015|work=Chicago Tribune|date=May 6, 2015}}</ref> The bus station opened in 2016, on land formerly used for a surface parking lot.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lane closures start Friday for new Union Station Transit Center|url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/stng-wire/7/71/583150/lane-closures-start-friday-new-union-station-transit-center|access-date=21 June 2015|work=Chicago Sun-Times|date=May 6, 2015 | first = LeeAnn | last = Shelton}}</ref> 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 Lines|Greyhound]] intercity bus company. Tickets are available for purchase, and some Greyhound and [[Megabus (North America)|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.<ref name="Greyhound">{{Cite web|title=Greyhound|work=chicagounionstation.com|url=https://chicagounionstation.com/travel/greyhound|access-date=March 20, 2020}}</ref>

=== Historical services ===
[[File:Union Station old approaches.svg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Map of historical routes and services]]
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:
*[[Chicago and Alton Railroad]] – only a tenant, later part of the [[Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad]]
*[[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]] (Burlington Route)
*[[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] (Milwaukee Road) – The station housed its corporate offices from 1924 to 1986
*[[Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway]] ([[Pennsylvania Railroad|PRR]])
*[[Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad]] (Panhandle) (moved to use the [[Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway|PFW&C]] approach after April 23, 1917)
*[[Penn Central Transportation Company]] (former services of the [[New York Central Railroad]] and [[Michigan Central Railroad]]) (moved from [[LaSalle Street Station (Chicago)|LaSalle Street Station]] October 27, 1968)
*[[Amtrak]] (began May 1, 1971, moved from [[Dearborn Station (Chicago)|Dearborn Station]] May 2, 1971 and [[Central Station (Chicago terminal)|Central Station]] March 6, 1972 (''[[Floridian (Amtrak)|Floridian]]'' moved January 23, 1972); Amtrak's ''[[Calumet (Amtrak)|Calumet]]'' and ''[[Indiana Connection (Amtrak)|Indiana Connection]]'' [[commuter train]]s also ran into Union Station)
{{clear}}
{| style="border-spacing: 2px; border: 1px solid white;"
! style="width: 150px;" | Burlington Route
! style="width: 150px;" | Gulf, Mobile and Ohio
! style="width: 150px;" | Milwaukee Road
! style="width: 150px;" | 
! style="width: 150px;" | Pennsylvania
! style="width: 150px;" | 
! style="width: 150px;" | Great Northern
! style="width: 150px;" | Northern Pacific
|-
| ''[[California Zephyr]]<br/>[[Denver Zephyr]]<br/>[[Twin Cities Zephyr]]s<br/>[[American Royal Zephyr]]<br/>[[Kansas City Zephyr]]<br/>[[Western Star (train)|Western Star]]''
| ''Alton Limited<br/>Abraham Lincoln<br/>[[Ann Rutledge (train)|Ann Rutledge]]<br/>[[The Midnight Special (train)|Midnight Special]]''
| ''[[Twin Cities Hiawatha]]<br/>[[Midwest Hiawatha]]<br/>[[Pioneer Limited (passenger train)|Pioneer Limited]]<br/>[[Olympian Hiawatha|Olympian]]<br/>[[Columbian (MILW train)|Columbian]]<br/>[[Olympian Hiawatha]]''
| ''[[City of San Francisco (train)|City of San Francisco]]<br/>[[City of Los Angeles (train)|City of Los Angeles]]<br/>[[City of Portland (train)|City of Portland]]<br/>[[Challenger (train)|Challenger]]<br/>[[Sioux (passenger train)|Sioux]]<br/>[[Arrow (MILW train)|The Arrow]]''
| ''The Admiral<br/>[[Broadway Limited]]<br/>[[General (train)|The General]]<br/>[[Trail Blazer (train)|Trail Blazer]]<br/>Cincinnati Daylight Express''
| ''The Fort Pitt<br/>Pennsylvania Limited<br/>Pennsylvanian<br/>[[Manhattan Limited]]<br/>[[South Wind (train)|South Wind]]<br/>Gotham Limited''
| ''[[Empire Builder]]<br/>[[Western Star (train)|Western Star]]''
| ''[[North Coast Limited]]<br/>[[Mainstreeter]]''
|- style="text-align: center;"

|}

Some of these trains and their names have survived to present Amtrak services, such as the ''[[Empire Builder]]'', the ''[[California Zephyr]]'', and the ''[[Hiawatha Service|Hiawatha]]''.

The name ''[[Ann Rutledge (train)|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.

==Interior==
===Station building===
[[File:Chicago union station hall.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The Great Hall]]
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 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.<!--Inside the concourse are ticket counters for both Metra and Amtrak services, as well as three waiting rooms and a baggage claim for Amtrak passengers, a set of restrooms, and offices for Metra and Amtrak. The concourse also has a mezzanine level between platform and street level, containing a food court featuring local vendors as well as national chains.-->

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.<ref name="Burlington">{{cite web|title=A look inside Chicago Union Station's beautifully restored Burlington Room|work=Curbed|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2016/11/28/13764122/chicago-architecture-union-station-burlington-room-historic-preservation|date=November 28, 2016|access-date=March 21, 2020}}</ref>

The headhouse includes a space formerly used as a [[Fred Harvey Company|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 is planned to open in the summer of 2020.<ref name="foodhall">{{cite web|last=Kozlarz|first=Jay|title=Amtrak moving forward with Union Station food hall, new Clinton Street entrance|work=Curbed|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/8/7/20757795/union-station-development-food-hall-fred-harvey|date=August 7, 2019|access-date=March 21, 2020}}</ref>

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 {{convert|13500|sqft}}, double 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.<ref name="lounges">{{cite web|title=Amtrak Station Lounges|website=Amtrak|publisher=National Railroad Passenger Corporation|url=https://www.amtrak.com/station-lounges|access-date=22 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="metlounge">{{cite web|last=Kozlarz|first=Jay|title=A Look at Amtrak's New Metropolitan Lounge at Union Station|work=Curbed|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2016/6/24/12024162/chicago-transportation-news-union-station-lounge|date=June 24, 2016|access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref>

===Platforms and tracks===
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 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.<ref name="Condit">{{cite book|last=Condit|first=Carl W.|title=Chicago 1910–29, Building, Planning, and Urban Technology|year=1973|publisher=The University of Chicago Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/chicago191029bui0000cond/page/273 273], 279, 297|url=https://archive.org/details/chicago191029bui0000cond|url-access=registration|lccn=72-94791|isbn=0-226-11456-2}}</ref> 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 the ''[[Hiawatha Service]]'' 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 Railway Line|BNSF]], [[Heritage Corridor Line|Heritage Corridor]] and [[SouthWest Service]]s. Two station management structures (known as glasshouses), one on each side of the terminal, monitor train-to-track assignments and 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 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.

==Architecture==
{{multiple image
 | align=right
 | direction=horizontal
 | width=
 | footer=
 | width1=175
 | image1=New Union Station Chicago 1924.jpg
 | alt1= 
 | caption1=Union Station (1924); the station's concourse building (foreground) was later replaced by skyscrapers. Above ground, only the depot remains. 
 | width2=220
 | image2=Train Concourse, Chicago Union Station, Chicago (NBY 417199).jpg | alt2=
 | caption2=The 1924 above-ground concourse building was demolished in 1969 to make way for skyscrapers near the river.
}}
[[File:Night and Day Statues, Union Station Chicago.jpg|thumb|''Night'' and ''Day'' by [[Henry Hering]]]]
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 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.<ref name="Blasius"/><!--Beaux-Arts, Neoclassical,<ref name="Blasius"/><ref name="Landmark"/> Greek Revival-->

The main building, 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]].<ref name="Blasius"/>

The station featured a large concourse along the river, made with marble, glass, and iron.<ref name="Blasius"/> Massive steel arches held up the roof, and several stairways led passengers down to the platforms.

===Great Hall===
At the building's center is the Great Hall, a {{convert|110|ft|adj=on}}-high atrium capped by a large barrel-vaulted skylight. The {{convert|24000|sqft|adj=on}} room has connecting lobbies, staircases, and balconies. Enormous wooden benches are arranged in the room for travelers to wait for connections, and two specially-designed underground taxicab drives were built to protect travelers from the weather.<ref name="CAC"/> The room's columns are of textured Roman travertine marble, with leafy golden Corinthian capitals. The ceilings and insets are coffered, with decorative rosettes.<ref name="Blasius"/>

Two statues by [[Henry Hering]] —''Night'' and ''Day'' — look down on passengers, symbolizing the 24-hour operation of the railroads. The statue ''Night'' holds an owl, while ''Day'' holds a rooster.<ref name="CAC">{{cite web|title=Union Station: Buildings of Chicago|website=Chicago Architecture Center|url=http://www.architecture.org/learn/resources/buildings-of-chicago/building/union-station/|access-date=March 20, 2020}}</ref>

==Related structures==
===Power station===
[[File:Union Station Power House 2022.jpg|thumb|Chicago Union Station Power House]]
The Chicago Union Station Power House is a decommissioned coal-fire power plant that provided power to Union Station and its surrounding infrastructure.<ref name="Hendrickson">Matthew, Hendrickson. "[https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/10/9/20905492/union-station-power-house-amtrak-roosevelt-road-preservation-chicago Iconic South Loop power station, facing wrecking ball, should be saved instead, preservationists say]", [[Chicago Sun-Times]]. October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.</ref><ref name="Koziarz">Koziarz, Jay. "[https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/10/11/20909761/chicago-union-station-power-house-preservation-amtrak Preservationists push to save and repurpose iconic Union Station power house]", ''[[Curbed]]''. October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.</ref><ref name="PresChi">"[https://preservationchicago.org/chicago07/chicago-union-station-power-house/ Chicago Union Station Power House]", [[Preservation Chicago]]. Retrieved October 17, 2019.</ref> 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.<ref name="Hendrickson"/><ref name="Koziarz"/><ref name="PresChi"/> The power plant was decommissioned in 2011.<ref name="Hendrickson"/><ref name="Koziarz"/><ref name="PresChi"/> It was included in [[Preservation Chicago]]'s 7 Most Endangered list in 2017 and 2020, as Amtrak has plans to demolish the building.<ref name="Hendrickson"/><ref name="PresChi"/><ref>LaTrace, AJ. "[https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/3/1/14777532/chicago-endangered-buildings-preservation-2017 The 7 most endangered Chicago buildings in 2017]", ''[[Curbed]]''. March 1, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://preservationchicago.org/chicago07/?cat=105 Chicago 7 Most Endangered Buildings – 2020]", [[Preservation Chicago]]. Retrieved February 26, 2020.</ref><ref>Wetli, Patty. "[https://news.wttw.com/2020/02/26/preservation-chicago-adds-tennis-club-roseland-commercial-district-most-endangered-list Preservation Chicago Adds Tennis Club, Roseland Commercial District to 'Most Endangered' List]", [[WTTW]]. February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.</ref>

===Post office===
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 the structure the world's largest post office.<ref name="Solomon"/>

===Construction over the station's train shed===
[[File:Alvin Meyer4.jpg|thumb|left|Chicago Daily News Building]]
The large amount of land above the tracks and platforms has tempted property owners and developers. Possibly inspired by [[Grand Central Terminal#Terminal City|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 the [[Art Deco]] style, it was the first structure to add a public promenade along the river, which would be named [[Riverside Plaza (Chicago)|Riverside Plaza]]. Soon after, in 1932, the new [[Old Chicago Main Post Office|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, a [[Modernist architecture|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 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.<ref name="Solomon"/>

==History==
The current Union Station 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,<ref>{{cite journal |first=Harold M.|last=Mayer |title=The Railway Terminal Problem of Central Chicago|journal=Economic Geography|volume=21|issue=1|pages=62–76|date=January 1945|doi=10.2307/141384|jstor=141384 }}</ref> 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 [[Chicago Loop|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 the Loop. Union Station was part of architect [[Daniel Burnham]]'s city-wide [[Plan of Chicago]] in 1909.<ref name="Blasius">{{cite news|last=Blasius|first=Elizabeth|title=A history of Union Station architecture|newspaper=Curbed|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2020/1/3/21048303/chicago-union-station-history|date=January 3, 2020|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref>

===Predecessors===
[[File:Union Station, Canal and Adams Street (NBY 8451).jpg|thumb|Union Depot, the first union station in Chicago]]
On December 25, 1858, the [[Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad]] opened as far as [[Van Buren Street (Chicago)|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 a [[union station]] just north of the original Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railroad station site at Van Buren Street. These railroads were:
*[[Pennsylvania Company]] (a subsidiary of the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]])
*[[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]] (Burlington Route)
*[[Michigan Central Railroad]]
*[[Chicago and Alton Railroad]]
*[[Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway]] (The Milwaukee Road)

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 the original agreement, considered switching to the new station from its [[Wells Street Station (Chicago)|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.<ref>{{cite map |publisher=Rand, McNally & Co.|title=Map of the Central Portion of Chicago, 1895|url=http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/10609.html|section=B5|access-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref> Tracks led into 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.<ref name="Solomon">{{cite book|last=Solomon|first=Brian|title=Chicago: America's Railroad Capital|publisher=Voyageur Press|date=2014|isbn=9781627884938|access-date=March 23, 2020 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kUTYBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA86 }}</ref>

===Replacement===
[[File:Chicago Union Station Plan.jpg|thumb|The 1922 proposal for Union Station included a taller tower of offices above the terminal, but only a few stories for railroad offices were completed.]]
[[File:Chicago Union Station dedication.jpg|thumb|Dedication of the new station in 1925]]
Growth in passenger traffic, as well as 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 the project.<ref name="Solomon"/>

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.<ref name="Blasius"/> 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.<ref name="Solomon"/> The station finally opened on May 16, 1925, twelve years after construction began; some viaduct work continued into 1927. The construction cost, funded by the railroad companies involved, was projected to be $65 million, but ended up costing $75 million.<ref name="facts">{{cite web|title=Union Station: Station Facts 2019|website=Chicago Union Station|publisher=Amtrak Media Relations|url=https://chicagounionstation.com/uploads/documents/CUS-Fact-Sheet-2019.pdf|date=2019|access-date=March 17, 2020}}</ref> 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 architecture|Beaux-Arts]] railroad stations that were among 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.

===Wartime, decline, and resurgence===
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 a December 1944 issue of ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'', depicting the station jammed with Christmas travelers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2016/12/crowd-sourced-norman-rockwells-christmas-chicago-union-station/|title=Crowd-sourced: Norman Rockwell's Christmas at Chicago Union Station|last=Nilsson|first=Jeff|work=The Saturday Evening Post|date=December 19, 2016|access-date=March 7, 2019}}</ref> 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 was constructed beneath the tower.<ref name="Blasius"/> In May 1971, the national railroad [[Amtrak]] was formed to take over long-distance passenger train service, while commuter trains remained privately operated.<ref name="facts2"/> In 1980, the station's [[Fred Harvey Company|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.<ref name="foodhall"/>

In 1984, Amtrak bought out the shares of Chicago Union Station Company held by [[Burlington Northern Railroad|Burlington Northern]] (successor to the Burlington Route) and the Milwaukee Road, becoming sole owner of the station.<ref name="facts2">{{cite web | url = http://www.chicagounionstation.com/cusfacts.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170606055718/http://www.chicagounionstation.com/cusfacts.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2017-06-06 | title = Chicago Union Station Facts | date = 2017 | author = Amtrak Media Relations | work = Chicago Union Station | access-date = September 28, 2017}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/downtown_chicagostations/chicago_union_station.html|title=Chicago Union Station|publisher=Metra|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614012328/http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/downtown_chicagostations/chicago_union_station.html|archive-date=June 14, 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=June 23, 2010|df=mdy}}</ref> Restoration of Union Station continued. Numerous spaces within the station had yet to be renovated, and many sat unused, especially within the station building.<ref name="Blasius"/>

===21st century===
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.<ref>{{cite report |title=Chicago Union Station Capacity Study|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/47056888/Chicago-Union-Station-Capacity-Study-2002|author=HDR/CANAC|year=2002|publisher=Amtrak/Metra|access-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref> On May 1, 2002, the station was designated a [[Chicago Landmark]], protecting its exterior, rooflines, and public interior spaces from alterations.<ref name="Blasius"/><ref name="Landmark">{{cite web|title=Union Station|website=City of Chicago|url=http://webapps1.chicago.gov/landmarksweb/web/landmarkdetails.htm?lanId=1440|access-date=March 20, 2020}}</ref> The status protects all exteriors, rooflines, the central lightwell, vehicular drives, the Great Hall, skylight, and select interior features – balconies, porticos, corridors, lobbies, and stairs.<ref name="2018dev3">{{cite web|title=Chicago Union Station Redevelopment|work=Kimley-Horn|url=http://ward42chicago.com/documents/2018-0911-CUSCommunityPresentationFINAL2.pdf|date=September 11, 2018|access-date=March 21, 2020}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Major Makeover Coming for Union Station|url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2010/10/05/major-makeover-coming-for-union-station/|work=[[WBBM-TV|CBS Chicago]]|date=October 5, 2010|access-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref> That year a ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' investigation revealed high levels of diesel soot on the underground platforms of Union Station.<ref>{{cite news |title=Metra Riders Subjected to High Amounts of Diesel Soot|first=Michael|last=Hawthorne|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-05/health/ct-met-dirty-diesel-20101105_1_diesel-soot-diesel-exhaust-metra|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=November 5, 2010|access-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref> [[Metra]] established an "Emissions Task Force" to study this problem and recommend solutions to improve air quality in the underground areas.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Metra convenes task force to improve air quality |url=http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/utility_landing/newsroom/newsroom/metra_convenes_taskforcetoimproveairquality.html |publisher=Metra |date=November 9, 2010 |access-date=January 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117132111/http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/utility_landing/newsroom/newsroom/metra_convenes_taskforcetoimproveairquality.html |archive-date=November 17, 2010 }}</ref>  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.<ref name="planning.org"/> Custom steel lighting covers were added to top these safety/light towers, helping them blend in with the overall neoclassical style of the station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.helandermetal.com/blog/topic/union-station|title=Our Blog {{!}} Union Station|last=Company|first=Helander Metal Spinning|website=blog.helandermetal.com|language=en-us|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref>

[[File:20170324 02 Union Station.jpg|thumb|Part of the restored Burlington Room]]
[[File:Chicago Union Station Parking.jpg|thumb|The station's parking in 2011; the lot in the foreground is now a bus station; the garage permanently closed in 2019.]]
In 2011, the city held a public meeting to discuss goals for the station, aiming to accommodate the expected 40 percent growth in passengers by 2040.<ref name="planning.org"/> In the following year, city agencies joined together to publish a master plan for renovating and improving Union Station.<ref name="Blasius"/> 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 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.<ref name="cityofchicago.org"/>
<!--Union Station remains a busy place: in 2016, about 120,000 people used the station each day,<ref name=State2016>{{citation | url = https://metrarail.com/sites/default/files/assets/metra_state_of_the_system_2016_reduced.pdf | format = PDF | title = State of the System: 2016 | date = July 2016 | author = Division of Strategic Capital Planning | publisher = Metra | page = 32}}</ref> up from 54,000 people in 2007.<ref>{{cite magazine |title = On the Bi-Level | date = June 2006 | publisher = Metra}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= On the Bi-Level | date = October 2007 | publisher = Metra}}</ref> Of those passengers, 90 percent ride the Metra commuter rail lines.<ref name=State2016 /> Union Station currently serves more than 300 trains per day: all Amtrak intercity trains to Chicago as well as six Metra commuter rail lines.-->

In June 2015, Amtrak announced that it would renovate the station, including opening up long-closed spaces and replacing the worn staircases with marble from the original quarry near [[Rome]].<ref name=Hilkevitch>{{cite news|last1=Hilkevitch|first1=Jon|title=Amtrak plans Union Station makeover|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-union-station-steps-getting-around-met-0629-20150628-column.html|access-date=30 June 2015|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=29 June 2015}}</ref> In 2016, the women's lounge was restored, renamed the Burlington Room, and opened for use as an events space.<ref name="Blasius"/> 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, 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 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.<ref name="Burlington"/>

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 a tower addition above Union Station.<ref name="2017dev">{{cite web|last=Kozlarz|first=Jay|title=Massive redevelopment plan for Chicago's Union Station breaks cover|work=Curbed|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/5/25/15689098/chicago-union-station-high-rise-master-developer|date=May 25, 2017|access-date=March 21, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:20180825 02 Chicago Union Station.jpg|thumb|left|Great Hall renovations in 2018]]
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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-biz-union-station-skylight-20181129-story.html |title=Union Station's Great Hall is bright for holidays, after skylight repair |last=Wisniewski |first=Mary |date=2018-11-30 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=2018-12-14}}</ref> 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 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.<ref name="metlounge"/>

In 2018, Riverside Investment & Development Co. released a revised plan that included a seven-story addition above Union Station, adding 404 apartments to the building. The planned design was created by [[Solomon Cordwell Buenz]], resembling Burnham's earlier proposed tower above the station, designed to handle the weight. The addition was to be clad in glass and light bronze, differentiated from the station's design as recommended in its landmark designation. The developers also planned to renovate the existing upper levels of Union Station's headhouse, adding 330 hotel rooms. The proposal was met with mixed reactions by preservationists and architectural critics, with [[Blair Kamin]], the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''{{'}}s critic, calling it "banal" and "top-heavy".<ref name="2018dev">{{cite web|first=Jay|last=Kolarz|title=Developers unveil plan to build hotel, apartments above Union Station|work=Curbed|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/6/26/17505782/union-station-redevelopment-hotel-apartments|date=June 26, 2018|access-date=March 21, 2020}}</ref> Several months later, the developers announced they were cancelling the plan for the seven-story addition, instead constructing only a single additional penthouse floor, set back to not be visible from the street. The revised plan kept hotel rooms in the station's upper floors, and added a proposed 50-story office tower replacing the station's underutilized parking garage.<ref name="2018dev2">{{cite web|last=Kozlarz|first=Jay|title=Developers drop unpopular addition from Union Station, unveil office tower next door|work=Curbed|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/9/12/17845744/union-station-development-hotel-apartments-office-tower|date=September 12, 2018|access-date=March 21, 2020}}</ref>

In 2018, Amtrak announced plans to redevelop the former Fred Harvey restaurant 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 is planned to open in the summer of 2020.<ref name="foodhall"/>

In September 2019, Union Station's 700-car parking garage permanently closed in order to be demolished. Its replacement is to be a {{convert|700|ft|adj=on}}, {{convert|1.5|e6sqft|m2|adj=on}}, building named Union Station Tower, planned to open in 2022. The skyscraper will include a {{convert|1.5|acre|adj=on}} park above 400 parking spaces. The construction will not affect the [[Chicago Pedway|pedway]] from the terminal to its adjacent Union Station Transit Center.<ref name="UST">{{cite web|last=Kozlarz|first=Jay|title=Union Station garage closes, clearing path for 50-story tower|work=Curbed|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/9/23/20879942/union-station-bmo-tower-parking-garage-closed-construction|date=September 23, 2019|access-date=March 20, 2020}}</ref>

In March 2020, U.S. Representative for Illinois [[Dan Lipinski]] filed a bill to shift operational control of the terminal from Amtrak to Metra. Lipinski noted that Metra utilizes the station much more than Amtrak does, and operates its other large stations more effectively than Amtrak operates Union Station. Amtrak officials threatened to stop service to Union Station if the change is to be made, stating it would be impossible to operate and would serve as a blockade to regional and national Amtrak service. Congress was out of session during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], and aimed to discuss Lipinski's bill once sessions resumed.<ref name="operator">{{cite news|last=Hinz|first=Greg|title=Battle over control of Union Station goes nuclear|newspaper=Crain's Chicago Business|url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg-hinz-politics/battle-over-control-union-station-goes-nuclear|date=March 13, 2020|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
[[File:Stairs leading out of main hall, Chicago Union Station.jpg|thumb|One of the two grand staircases, where movie scenes such as [[The Untouchables (film)|''The Untouchables'']] were filmed]]
Union Station is used as a filming location in television and movies. Films in which the station appears include ''[[The Sting]]'' (1973), ''[[Silver Streak (film)|Silver Streak]]'' (1976), ''[[On the Right Track]]'' (1981), ''[[Doctor Detroit]]'' (1983), ''[[The Untouchables (film)|The Untouchables]]'' (1987), ''[[My Best Friend's Wedding]]'' (1997), ''[[Flags of Our Fathers (film)|Flags of Our Fathers]]'' (2006),  ''[[Public Enemies (2009 film)|Public Enemies]]'' (2009), and [[Man of Steel (film)|''Man of Steel'']] (2013).<ref name="locations">{{cite web|last=Spula|first=Ian|title=Mapping Chicago's Most Recognizable Filming Locations|work=Curbed|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/maps/mapping-chicagos-most-recognizable-filming-locations|date=September 16, 2013|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Filming Locations for Man Of Steel (2013), in Chicago, Illinois, and British Columbia.|url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/m/Man-Of-Steel.php|access-date=2020-06-05|website=The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations}}</ref><ref name="locations2">{{cite web|title=Union Station Chicago – Chicago, IL|work=TimeOut|url=https://www.timeout.com/chicago/things-to-do/union-station-chicago-chicago-il|date=June 28, 2017|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref> It was also featured in Season 4, Episode 8 of the TV series ''[[Fargo_(TV_series)|Fargo]]'' (2020), although it was depicted as ''[[Kansas City Union Station]].''<ref name="Fargo Recap">{{Cite web |title=Fargo Recap: The Bull and the Python |last=Phipps |first=Keith|work=Vulture |url= https://www.vulture.com/article/fargo-recap-season-4-episode-8-the-nadir.html |date=Nov 8, 2020 |access-date=Nov 8, 2020 }}</ref> A 2016 exhibit in Union Station showcased the station and Chicago's use as a filming location in American cinema.<ref name="Exhibit">{{Cite web |title=Union Station exhibit takes a ride through movie history |last=Phillips |first=Michael |work=Chicago Tribune |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-union-sta-mov-exhibit-mov-0826-20160825-column.html |date=August 24, 2016 |access-date=March 18, 2020 }}</ref>

==Amtrak ridership statistics==
In 2019, Amtrak handled 3,379,760 arrivals and departures at the station. 3,161,204 of these were coach and business class tickets, and 218,556 were first class and [[sleeper class]] tickets. 2,365,259 trips were taken on state supported Amtrak services (Blue Water, Hiawawatha, Hoosier State, Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandurg, Illini/Saluki, Lincoln Service, Pere Marquette, and Wolverine), and 1,007,508 trips were taken on  long distance Amtrak services (California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Lake Shore Limited, Southwest Chief, and Texas Eagle).<ref name="2019RPA">{{cite web |title=Amtrak service in Chicago, IL CHI |url=https://www.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/1811/chi.pdf |website=www.railpassengers.org |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref> 

In 2019, the average trip to/from the station was {{convert|327|mi}} in distance. Among coach and business class passengers, the average trip was {{convert|263|mi}} in distance, while the average trip among first and sleeper class trip was {{convert|1243|mi}} in distance.<ref name="2019RPA"/>

Between the fiscal years 2002 and 2008, Amtrak ridership more than doubled at the station, surpassing 3.1 million in the 2008 fiscal year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chapter 2 Transportation |url=https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Planning_and_Policy/Publications/Central_Area_Action_Plan_DRAFT/3_Transportation.pdf |website=www.chicago.gov |access-date=5 June 2022}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable " style="font-size: 95%"
|+ '''Annual Amtrak passenger traffic (arrivals + departures)'''<ref name="2019RPA"/>
|-
! Year
! Passengers<br>(in thousands)
! Change
|-
| 2019|| align=center|3,379.8||{{increase}} %
|-
| 2018|| align=center|3,293.6||{{decrease}} %
|-
| 2017|| align=center|3,321.2||{{increase}} %
|-
| 2016|| align=center|3,191.0||{{decrease}} %
|-
| 2015|| align=center|3,247.4||{{decrease}} %
|-
| 2014|| align=center|3,311.3||{{decrease}} %
|-
| 2013|| align=center|3,437.7|| style="text-align:center;"|--
|}

The following is the top-ten stations which receive the most ridership to/from Chicago Union Station out of the 265 that Amtrak rail services directly connect with Chicago Union Station:<ref name="2019RPA"/>

{| class="wikitable " style="font-size: 95%"
|+ '''Top station pairs by Amtrak ridership (as of 2019)'''<ref name="2019RPA"/>
|-
! Rank
! Station
! City
! Distance from<br>Chicago Union Station
! Connecting Amtrak services
|-
| 1
| [[Milwaukee Intermodal Station]]
| [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
| {{convert|86|mi}}
| [[Hiawatha Service]]
|-
| 2
| [[Gateway Transportation Center]]
| [[St. Louis, Missouri]]
| {{convert|284|mi}}
| [[Lincoln Service]], [[Texas Eagle]]
|-
| 3
| [[Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station]]
| [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
| {{convert|78|mi}}
| [[Hiawatha Service]]
|-
| 4
| [[Uptown Station]]
| [[Normal, Illinois]]
| {{convert|124|mi}}
| [[Lincoln Service]], [[Texas Eagle]]
|-
| 5
| [[Illinois Terminal]]
| [[Champaign, Illinois]]
| {{convert|129|mi}}
| [[City of New Orleans]], [[Illini and Saluki|Illini/Saluki]]
|-
| 6
| {{stn|Ann Arbor}}
| [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]]
| {{convert|143|mi}}
| [[Wolverine (train)|Wolverine]]
|-
| 8
| [[Springfield station (Illinois)|Springfield]]
| [[Springfield, Illinois]]
| {{convert|185|mi}}
| [[Lincoln Service]], [[Texas Eagle]]
|-
| 8
| [[Kalamazoo Transportation Center]]
| [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]]
| {{convert|138|mi}}
| [[Blue Water (train)|Blue Water]], [[Wolverine (train)|Wolverine]]
|-
| 9
| {{stn|Sturtevant}}
| [[Sturtevant, Wisconsin]]
| {{convert|62|mi}}
| [[Hiawatha Service]]
|-
| 10
| [[John D. Dingell Transit Center]]
| [[Dearborn, Michigan]]
| {{convert|273|mi}}
| [[Wolverine (train)|Wolverine]]
|}

The following is the top-ten stations which generate the most revenue from trips to/from Chicago Union Station out of the 265 that Amtrak rail services directly connect with Chicago Union Station.<ref name="2019RPA"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%"
|+ '''Top station pairs by Amtrak revenue (as of 2019)'''<ref name="2019RPA"/>
|-
! Rank
! Station
! City
! Distance from<br>Chicago Union Station
! Connecting Amtrak services
|-
| 1
| [[Milwaukee Intermodal Station]]
| [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
| {{convert|86|mi}}
| [[Hiawatha Service]]
|-
| 2
| [[Gateway Transportation Center]]
| [[St. Louis, Missouri]]
| {{convert|284|mi}}
| [[Lincoln Service]], [[Texas Eagle]]
|-
| 3
| [[Washington Union Station]]
| [[Washington, D.C.]]
| {{convert|921|mi}}
| [[Capitol Limited]], [[Cardinal (train)|Cardinal]]
|-
| 4
| [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]]
| [[Los Angeles, California]]
| {{convert|2728|mi}}
| [[Southwest Chief]], [[Texas Eagle]]
|-
| 5
| {{stn|Emeryville}}
| [[Emeryville, California]]
| {{convert|2438|mi}}
| [[California Zephyr]]
|-
| 6
| {{stn|Ann Arbor}}
| [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]]
| {{convert|143|mi}}
| [[Wolverine (train)|Wolverine]]
|-
| 7
| [[King Street Station]]
| [[Seattle, Washington]]
| {{convert|2205|mi}}
| [[Empire Builder]]
|-
| 8
| [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Pennsylvania Station]]
| [[New York City, New York]]
| {{convert|1146|mi}}
| [[Cardinal (train)|Cardinal]], [[Lake Shore Limited]]
|-
| 9
| [[Denver Union Station]]
| [[Denver, Colorado]]
| {{convert|1038|mi}}
| [[California Zephyr]]
|-
| 10
| [[Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station]]
| [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
| {{convert|78|mi}}
| [[Hiawatha Service]]
|}

{{Collapsible list
 | title = Share of Amtrak trips by distance
 | 
{{Bar chart 
| title       = Trips to/from station by distance<ref name="2019RPA"/> 
| label_type  = Distance
| data_type   = Ridership share %
| bar_width   = 35
| width_units = em
| data_max    = 100
| label1   = 0–99 miles
| data1    = 
| label2   = 100–199 miles
| data2    = 27.7
| label3   = 200–299 miles
| data3    = 24.6
| label4   = 300–399 miles
| data4    = 25.5
| label5   = 400–499 miles
| data5    = 3.7
| label6   = 500–599 miles
| data6    = 2.0
| label7   = 600–699 miles
| data7    = 1.3
| label8   = 700–799 miles
| data8    = 2.6
| label9   = 800–899 miles
| data9    = 0.9
| label10   = 900–999 miles
| data10    = 1.8
| label11   = 1000–1499miles
| data11    = 3.9
| label12   = 1500–1999 miles
| data12    = 1.2
| label13   = 2000+ miles
| data13    = 2.8
}}
| width = 35em
| align = left
| bgcolor = #FFFFFF
}}

==Metra ridership statistics==
===Cumulative ridership===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Cumulative weekday Metra ridership at Union Station
|-
! Period of study !! Daily inbound alightings!! Daily outbound boardings
|-
| Fall 2018<ref name="Fall2018">{{cite web |title=Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count SUMMARY RESULTS Fall 2018 |date=April 2019 |publisher=Metra |url=https://metra.com/sites/default/files/assets/planning/ridership/2018_summary_results_report_final.pdf |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref> || align=center|55,979 || align=center|54,882
|-
| Fall 2016<ref name="Fall2016">{{cite web |title=Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count SUMMARY RESULTS Fall 2016 |date=May 2017 |publisher=Metra |url=https://metra.com/sites/default/files/assets/planning/ridership/16count_smry_v01.pdf |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref> || align=center|55,565 || align=center|55,494
|-
| Spring 2014<ref name="Spring2014">{{cite web |title=Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count SUMMARY RESULTS Spring 2014 |date=December 2014 |publisher=Metra |url=https://metra.com/sites/default/files/assets/about-metra/2014count_summary10.pdf |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref> || align=center|55,098 || align=center|54,422
|-
| Fall 2006<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|54,388
|-
| Fall 2002<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|49,883
|-
| Fall 1999<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|51,221
|-
| Fall 1997<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|48,579
|-
| Fall 1995<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|43,920
|-
| Fall 1993<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|42,301
|-
| Fall 1989<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|42,409
|-
| Fall 1987<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|39,510
|-
| Spring 1985<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|35,968
|-
| Spring 1983<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center| || align=center|32,834
|}
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Cumulative weekday Metra ridership at Union Station by time of day
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=4|Inbound alightings!! colspan=4|Outbound boardings
|-
! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening !! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening
|-
| Fall 2018<ref name="Fall2018"/> || align=center|49,911 || align=center|4,442 || align=center|2,108 || align=center|518 || align=center|1,542 || align=center|4,994 || align=center|43,887 || align=center|4,459
|-
| Fall 2016<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center|47,725 || align=center|4,653 || align=center|2,643 || align=center|544 || align=center|1,561 || align=center|5,039 || align=center|43,439 || align=center|5,455
|-
| Spring 2014<ref name="Spring2014"/> || align=center|48,066 || align=center|3,985 || align=center|2,492 || align=center|555 || align=center|1,587 || align=center|4,542 || align=center|42,845 || align=center|5,448
|}

===BNSF===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra BNSF ridership at Union Station
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=3|Inbound trains !! colspan=3|Outbound trains
|-
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>alightings!! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>alighting<br>at Union Station 
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>boardings !! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>boarding <br>at Union Station
|-
| Oct. 15–Oct. 18, 2018<ref name="TBTFall2018">{{cite web |title=Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count TRAIN-BY-TRAIN DETAIL Fall 2018 |date=April 2019 |publisher=Metra |url=https://metra.com/sites/default/files/assets/planning/ridership/2018_train_by_train_details_report_final.pdf |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref>
| align=center|48|| align=center|27,099|| align=center|97.44%
| align=center|48|| align=center|26,305|| align=center|97.00%
|-
| Nov. 9–Dec. 5, 2016<ref name="TBTFall2016">{{cite web |title=Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count TRAIN-BY-TRAIN DETAIL Fall 2016 |url=https://metra.com/sites/default/files/assets/planning/ridership/16count_tbt_v01.pdf |publisher=Metra |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref>
| align=center|47|| align=center|26,542|| align=center|97.36%
| align=center|47|| align=center|26,615|| align=center|96.82%
|-
| Apr. 15–16 and May 1, 2014<ref name="TBTSpring2014">{{cite web |title=Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count TRAIN-BY-TRAIN DETAIL Spring 2014 |publisher=Metra |date=December 2014 |url=https://metra.com/sites/default/files/assets/about-metra/2014count_t-b-t10.pdf |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref>
| align=center|47|| align=center|26,588 || align=center|96.35%
| align=center|47|| align=center|26,077 || align=center|96.26%
|-
| Fall 2006<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|26,547 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 2002<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|25,114 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 1999<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|25,355 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 1997<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|24,200 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 1995<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|22,546 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 1993<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|21,995 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 1991<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|21,980 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 1989 <ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|22,620 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 1987<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|21,361 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 1985<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|20,005 || align=center|
|-
| Fall 1983<ref name="Fall2016"/>
| align=center| || align=center| || align=center|
| align=center| || align=center|18,545 || align=center|
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra BNSF ridership at Union Station by time of day
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=4|Inbound alightings!! colspan=4|Outbound boardings
|-
! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening !! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening
|-
| Oct. 15–Oct. 18, 2018<ref name="Fall2018"/> || align=center|24,527 || align=center|1,430 || align=center|844 || align=center|298 || align=center|572 || align=center|2,670 || align=center|20,893 || align=center|2,170
|-
| Nov. 9–Dec. 5, 2016<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center|23,633 || align=center|1,606 || align=center|1,074 || align=center|229 || align=center|630 || align=center|2,696 || align=center|20,434 || align=center|2,855
|-
| Apr. 15–16 and May 1, 2014<ref name="Spring2014"/> || align=center|24,215 || align=center|1,186 || align=center|977 || align=center|210 || align=center|638 || align=center|2,496 || align=center|20,430 || align=center|2,603
|}

===Heritage Corridor===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra Heritage Corridor ridership at Union Station by time of day
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=3|Inbound trains !! colspan=3|Outbound trains
|-
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>alightings!! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>alighting<br>at Union Station
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>boardings !! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>boarding <br>at Union Station
|-
| Sep. 11, 2018<ref name="TBTFall2018"/>
| align=center|3|| align=center|1,408|| align=center|99.58%
| align=center|4|| align=center|1,333|| align=center|99.85%
|-
| Sep. 27–Oct. 19, 2016<ref name="TBTFall2016"/>
| align=center|3|| align=center|1,317|| align=center|99.77%
| align=center|4|| align=center|1,222|| align=center|99.59%
|-
| Apr. 10, 2014<ref name="TBTSpring2014"/>
| align=center|3|| align=center|1,226|| align=center|99.67%
| align=center|3|| align=center|1,188|| align=center|99.75%
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra Heritage Corridor ridership at Union Station by time of day
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=4|Inbound alightings!! colspan=4|Outbound boardings
|-
! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening !! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening
|-
| Sep. 11, 2018<ref name="Fall2018"/> || align=center|1,408 || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || align=center|89 || align=center|1,244 || {{N/A}}
|-
| Sep. 27–Oct. 19, 2016<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center|1,317 || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || align=center|52 || align=center|1,170 || {{N/A}}
|-
| Apr. 10, 2014<ref name="Spring2014"/> || align=center|1,226 || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} || align=center|1,188 || {{N/A}}
|}

===Metra Milwaukee District North===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra Milwaukee District North ridership at Union Station
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=3|Inbound trains !! colspan=3|Outbound trains
|-
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>alightings!! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>alighting<br>at Union Station 
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>boardings !! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>boarding <br>at Union Station
|-
| Sep. 18–19, 2018<ref name="TBTFall2018"/>
| align=center|31|| align=center|10,293|| align=center|88.06%
| align=center|30|| align=center|10,326|| align=center|88.66%
|-
| Oct. 20–Dec. 1, 2016<ref name="TBTFall2016"/>
| align=center|31|| align=center|10,117|| align=center|84.97%
| align=center|31|| align=center|10,072|| align=center|87.31%
|-
| Apr. 1 and May 29, 2014<ref name="TBTSpring2014"/>
| align=center|31|| align=center|10,061|| align=center|85.66%
| align=center|30|| align=center|9,870|| align=center|85.74%
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra Milwaukee District North ridership at Union Station by time of day
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=4|Inbound alightings!! colspan=4|Outbound boardings
|-
! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening !! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening
|-
| Sep. 18–19, 2018<ref name="Fall2018"/> || align=center|8,060 || align=center|1,316 || align=center|805 || align=center|112 || align=center|687 || align=center|764 || align=center|7,956 || align=center|919
|-
| Oct. 20–Dec. 1, 2016<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center|7,718 || align=center|1,317 || align=center|904 || align=center|178 || align=center|635 || align=center|812 || align=center|7,457 || align=center|1,168
|-
| Apr. 1 and May 29, 2014<ref name="Spring2014"/> || align=center|7,833 || align=center|1,182 || align=center|870 || align=center|176 || align=center|594 || align=center|701 || align=center|7,335 || align=center|1,240
|}

===Metra Milwaukee District West===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra Milwaukee District West ridership at Union Station
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=3|Inbound trains !! colspan=3|Outbound trains
|-
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>alightings!! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>alighting<br>at Union Station 
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>boardings !! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>boarding <br>at Union Station
|-
| Nov. 7, 2018<ref name="TBTFall2018"/>
| align=center|29|| align=center|9,804|| align=center|93.88%
| align=center|29|| align=center|9,766|| align=center|93.89%
|-
| Oct. 18–Nov. 17, 2016<ref name="TBTFall2016"/>
| align=center|29|| align=center|10,328|| align=center|91.66%
| align=center|29|| align=center|10,310|| align=center|92.87%
|-
| Apr. 8, 2014<ref name="TBTSpring2014"/>
| align=center|3|| align=center|10,021|| align=center|92.21%
| align=center|3|| align=center|10,011|| align=center|92.24%
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra Milwaukee District West ridership at Union Station by time of day
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=4|Inbound alightings!! colspan=4|Outbound boardings
|-
! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening !! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening
|-
| Nov. 7, 2018<ref name="Fall2018"/> || align=center|8,323 || align=center|1,1-01 || align=center|203 || align=center|87 || align=center|150 || align=center|850 || align=center|8,096 || align=center|661
|-
| Oct. 18–Nov. 17, 2016<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center|8,575 || align=center|1,143 || align=center|498 || align=center|112 || align=center|184 || align=center|842 || align=center|8,466|| align=center|818
|-
| Apr. 8, 2014<ref name="Spring2014"/> || align=center|8,390 || align=center|1,065 || align=center|419 || align=center|147 || align=center|206 || align=center|792 || align=center|8,099 || align=center|914
|}

===Metra North Central Service===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra North Central Service ridership at Union Station
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=3|Inbound trains !! colspan=3|Outbound trains
|-
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>alightings!! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>alighting<br>at Union Station 
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>boardings !! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>boarding <br>at Union Station
|-
| Sep. 12, 2018<ref name="TBTFall2018"/>
| align=center|10|| align=center|2,967|| align=center|91.12%
| align=center|10|| align=center|2,825|| align=center|91.10%
|-
| Oct. 6–Dec 1, 2016<ref name="TBTFall2016"/>
| align=center|11|| align=center|2,747|| align=center|89.71%
| align=center|11|| align=center|2,772|| align=center|90.41%
|-
| Mar. 11, 2014<ref name="TBTSpring2014"/>
| align=center|11|| align=center|2,781|| align=center|87.02%
| align=center|11|| align=center|2,799|| align=center|86.93%
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra North Central Service ridership at Union Station by time of day
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=4|Inbound alightings!! colspan=4|Outbound boardings
|-
! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening !! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening
|-
| Sep. 12, 2018<ref name="Fall2018"/> || align=center|2,648 || align=center|236 || align=center|78 || align=center|5|| align=center|100 || align=center|268 || align=center|2,215 || align=center|242
|-
| Oct. 6–Dec 1, 2016<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center|2,463 || align=center|189|| align=center|90 || align=center|5 || align=center|79 || align=center|273 || align=center|2,174 || align=center|246
|-
| Mar. 11, 2014<ref name="Spring2014"/> || align=center|3,895 || align=center|2,492 || align=center|555 || align=center|114 || align=center|186 || align=center|2,284 || align=center|215 || align=center|2,799
|}

===Metra Southwest Service===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra Southwest Service ridership at Union Station
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=3|Inbound trains !! colspan=3|Outbound trains
|-
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>alightings!! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>alighting<br>at Union Station 
! Number of<br>daily trains !! Avg. daily<Br>passenger<br>boardings !! % of<br>inbound<br>passengers<br>boarding <br>at Union Station
|-
| Sep. 13, 2018<ref name="TBTFall2018"/>
| align=center|15|| align=center|4,408|| align=center|99.10%
| align=center|15|| align=center|4,327|| align=center|99.24%
|-
| Oct. 11–Nov. 16, 2016<ref name="TBTFall2016"/>
| align=center|15|| align=center|4,514|| align=center|99.21%
| align=center|15|| align=center|4,503|| align=center|98.90%
|-
| Mar. 20, 2014<ref name="TBTSpring2014"/>
| align=center|15|| align=center|4,421|| align=center|97.79%
| align=center|15|| align=center|4,477|| align=center|98.50%
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| colspan=9| Weekday Metra Southwest Service ridership at Union Station by time of day
|-
! rowspan=2|Period of study !! colspan=4|Inbound alightings!! colspan=4|Outbound boardings
|-
! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening !! AM peak !! Midday !! PM peak !! Evening
|-
| Sep. 13, 2018<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center|3,945 || align=center|359 || align=center|88 || align=center|16 || align=center|24 || align=center|353 || align=center|3,483 || align=center|467
|-
| Oct. 11–Nov. 16, 2016<ref name="Fall2016"/> || align=center|4,019|| align=center|398 || align=center|77 || align=center|20 || align=center|33 || align=center|364 || align=center|3,738 || align=center|368
|-
| Mar. 20, 2014<ref name="Spring2014"/> || align=center|3,895 || align=center|398 || align=center|107 || align=center|21|| align=center|35|| align=center|367 || align=center|3,599 || align=center|476
|}

==See also==
* [[Chicago Union Station ridership]]
* [[Architecture of Chicago]]
* [[History of passenger rail in Chicago]]
* [[List of busiest railway stations in North America]]
* ''[[Illinois Service]]''
* ''[[Missouri River Runner]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{official website|https://chicagounionstation.com/}}
{{Amtrak web|CHI|Chicago Union Station|ILLINOIS}}
*[https://metrarail.com/maps-schedules/train-lines/BNSF/stations/CUS Chicago Union Station – Metra]

{{Portal bar|Architecture|Chicago|Trains}}
{{authority control}}
{{Amtrak Illinois stations}}
{{Near West Side, Chicago}}
{{Metra|state=autocollapse}}
{{Chicago terminals|state=autocollapse}}
{{Chicago Landmark transportation|state=autocollapse}}
{{PRR Main Line stations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago}}
[[Category:1925 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Amtrak stations in Illinois]]
[[Category:Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach stations in Illinois]]
[[Category:Former Chicago and Alton Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Former Pennsylvania Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Chicago Landmarks|Union Station]]
[[Category:Metra stations in Chicago|Union Station]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Chicago|Union Station]]
[[Category:Railway stations located underground in Illinois]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1925]]
[[Category:Transit centers in the United States]]
[[Category:Union stations in the United States]]