Union Station

Earlier this month, The Travel mentioned Chicago Union Station – along with Baltimore's Penn Station – as being one of two American Amtrak stops that needs a revamp. "Much of the [Chicago] station’s infrastructure feels outdated and disconnected," the website noted. "The lower-level concourses, where most passengers navigate, lack the charm and appeal of the main hall... The station’s confusing layout and aging facilities often frustrate travelers."

According a survey focused on bike parking, respondents overwhelmingly preferred the addition of secure, indoor bike storage at Union Station.

If the funding is approved, Amtrak would use the cash from a federal Mega Grant to upgrade the terminal, create more rail routes into the city, and launch a variety of new services.  

On Thursday, July 8, Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined federal elected officials Senator Dick Durbin and Representative Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (IL-4) alongside state transportation officials in asking for federal funds for improvements to Chicago's Union Station and nearby tracks that would make the station a more comfortable and spacious place for passengers and reduce delays on certain Amtrak routes. 

If the multiple service disruptions, culminating in last week's Union Station fiasco, don't convince lawmakers that our transit system needs an overhaul, nothing will.

It looks like plans to renovate Union Station are on track. On Wednesday, City Council passed an ordinance that will move the Union Station Master Plan forward by authorizing an intergovernmental agreement between the Chicago Department of Transportation, Metra, the Regional Transportation Authority, and Amtrak.

One of Chicago’s nicest bike amenities is one we often taken for granted, the Millennium Park bike station. Built in 2004 by the Chicago Department of Transportation, using $3 million in federal funds, this attractive glass structure offers indoor parking for about 300 bikes, plus showers, lockers, rentals, and repairs.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's GO TO 2040 regional comprehensive plan has weathered some major ups and downs in its four-year lifespan. CMAP has received several awards for the plan, which required a huge effort on their part to reach out to local residents and overwrite decades of uncoordinated transportation "plans."

Amtrak trains would run faster between Chicago and Joliet in the Illinois Department of Transportation's proposal to switch St. Louis-bound trains to less crowded tracks. But IDOT's project could be even better with a few key changes. By folding the track upgrade known as CrossRail into the Amtrak project, IDOT could improve intercity trains and regional Metra service in one fell swoop.