ATSD | Chicago, IL

Chicago Union Station (CUS) is one of the nation's premier rail passenger stations. Built in 1881 by a consortium headed by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the centerpiece is the magnificent Great Hall - featuring a 112-foot-high vaulted ceiling, marble floors, and (some would tell you) an unreplicable atmosphere of a railroad era gone by. All intercity passenger trains depart from CUS, which is currently owned and operated by Amtrak. Chicago's Metra commuter rail, which serves many Chicago suburbs, also uses Union Station as a major downtown terminal. For anyone transferring from a West Coast train to an East Coast one, or vice versa, Chicago Union Station is one heck of a place for a layover.

Station Hours - last updated 03.01.05
Chicago Union Station is open from 5:00am - 12:30am daily.
The Amtrak ticket office is open from 7:00am - 10:00pm daily.
The Metra commuter rail ticket office is open from:
7:00am - 11:30pm, Sunday
6:00am - 11:30pm, Monday - Friday
6:30am - 11:30pm, Saturday

Amtrak Trains - last updated 03.01.05 | contributed by David Breisch
Chicago Union Station is served by the following Amtrak trains:

#	Name		Station	Time	Freq.	Miles
329	Hiawatha	to	Milwaukee, WI	dp 6:00a	daily	86
350	Wolverine	to	Pontiac, MI	dp 7:50a	daily	304
330	Hiawatha	from	Milwaukee, WI	ar 7:57a	daily	86
303	Ann Rutledge	to	Kansas City, MO	dp 8:25a	daily	567
331	Hiawatha	to	Milwaukee, WI	dp 8:25a	daily	86
49	Lake Shore Limited	from	New York, NY Boston, MA	ar 8:43a	daily	959 1017
58	City of New Orleans	from	New Orleans, LA	ar 9:00a	daily	926
332	Hiawatha	from	Milwaukee, WI	ar 9:32a	daily	86
300	State House	from	St. Louis, MO	ar 9:55a	daily	284
29	Capitol Limited	from	Washington, D.C.	ar 10:19a	daily	764
333	Hiawatha	to	Milwaukee, WI	dp 10:20a	daily	86
371	Pere Marquette	from	Grand Rapids, MI	ar 10:30a	daily	176
348	Illinois Zephyr	from	Quincy, IL	ar 10:35a	daily	258
51	Cardinal	from	New York, NY	ar 10:40a	MoThSa	1146
365	Blue Water	from	Port Huron, MI	ar 11:10a	daily	319
351	Wolverine	from	Pontiac, MI	ar 11:59a	daily	304
334	Hiawatha	from	Milwaukee, WI	ar 12:22p	daily	86
335	Hiawatha	to	Milwaukee, WI	dp 1:05p	daily	86
352	Lake Cities	to	Pontiac, MI	dp 1:15p	daily	304
7	Empire Builder	to	Seattle, WA Portland, OR	dp 2:10p	daily	2210 2262
5	California Zephyr	to	Emeryville, CA	dp 2:20p	daily	2435
22	Texas Eagle	from	San Antonio, TX Los Angeles, CA	ar 2:29p	daily WeFrSu	1306 2728
336	Hiawatha	from	Milwaukee, WI	ar 2:32p	daily	86
364	Blue Water	to	Port Huron, MI	dp 3:00p	daily	319
3	Southwest Chief	to	Los Angeles, CA	dp 3:15p	daily	2256
337	Hiawatha	to	Milwaukee, WI	dp 3:15p	daily	86
4	Southwest Chief	from	Los Angeles, CA	ar 3:20p	daily	2256
21	Texas Eagle	to	San Antonio, TX Los Angeles, CA	dp 3:20p	daily SuTuTh	1306 2728
6	California Zephyr	from	Emeryville, CA	ar 3:32p	daily	2435
8	Empire Builder	from	Seattle, WA Portland, OR	ar 3:45p	daily	2210 2262
353	Lake Cities	from	Pontiac, MI	ar 3:45p	daily	304
391	Illini	to	Carbondale, IL	dp 4:05p	daily	310
338	Hiawatha	from	Milwaukee, WI	ar 4:32p	daily	86
339	Hiawatha	to	Milwaukee, WI	dp 5:08p	daily	86
305	State House	to	St. Louis, MO	dp 5:15p	daily	284
370	Pere Marquette	to	Grand Rapids, MI	dp 5:20p	daily	176
30	Capitol Limited	to	Washington, D.C.	dp 5:35p	daily	764
347	Illinois Zephyr	to	Quincy, IL	dp 5:55p	daily	258
354	Twilight Limited	to	Pontiac, MI	dp 6:00p	daily	304
340	Hiawatha	from	Milwaukee, WI	ar 7:17p	daily	86
48	Lake Shore Limited	to	New York, NY Boston, MA	dp 7:35p	daily	959 1017
50	Cardinal	to	New York, NY	dp 7:45p	TuThSa	1146
59	City of New Orleans	to	New Orleans, LA	dp 8:00p	daily	926
341	Hiawatha	to	Milwaukee, WI	dp 8:05p	daily	86
304	Ann Rutledge	from	Kansas City, MO	ar 8:45p	daily	567
342	Hiawatha	from	Milwaukee, WI	ar 9:02p	daily	86
392	Illini	from	Carbondale, IL	ar 9:35p	daily	310
355	Twilight Limited	from	Pontiac, MI	ar 9:50p	daily	304

Checked Baggage
Checked baggage service is available on some Amtrak trains departing Chicago from 8:30am - 8:30pm. The symbol on the above chart indicates which trains have checked baggage service available; however, checked bag service is not available to all train destinations. Check your arrival station's page for details on checked baggage availability. Each passenger may check up to three items, each of which may not exceed 50 pounds. Each item must have a baggage ID tag attached; free tags are available from Amtrak ticket counters. Please arrive at the station at least 30 minutes prior to departure if you wish to check baggage.

Metra commuter rail does not offer checked baggage service. Suitcases may be carried with you on the train provided that they are not oversized and do not block access to aisles or, on crowded trains, take up seat space next to you.

Driving Directions
No driving directions are currently available.

Parking Details - contributed by www.texaseagle.com
Union Station Self Park has 500 short-term and 500 long-term space available in a parking structure across the stree from the station. Self Park has security on duty 24 hours a day and is connected to the station by an underground walkway.
Phone: 312.786.0111

Insider's Guide to Chicago Union Station - contributed by David Breisch

Station Facilities

Waiting Areas: CUS provides a number of different waiting rooms - and by far the most spectacular, in many peoples' opinions, is the Great Hall. The Great Hall has a 112-foot-high vaulted ceiling, marble floors, and many wooden benches. While the benches aren't the most comfortable, some wouldn't pass up the atmosphere for any modern amenity. There are two separate waiting areas for coach class passengers, one for northbound departures and one for southbound departures. They are modeled much like an airport departure lounge - for better or worse. Finally, Union Station features a Metropolitan Lounge for the convenience of customers traveling overnight in a bedroom. The Lounge features plush chairs, a big-screen TV, private baggage storage area and complimentary refreshments. Open 8:30am to 9:00pm daily.
Red cap service is available for passengers needing assistance with luggage or children. Red caps will help you with your luggage to your train. Small tips are suggested for red cap service.

Restrooms & Other: Union Station has several batches of restrooms for public use. They are clean and well-maintained. CUS isn't great about elevators, but there are a bunch of escalators for use between the main concourse and the upstairs food court. See the floor plan for additional info. One tricky thing is the single reverse flow escalator which changes direction depending on time of day. Don't try to go up when it's going down!

Neighborhood

Union Station is located very near to downtown Chicago, with many local transportation options. Chicago is definitely considered a walking city, so I wouldn't be too worried about walking to the Loop (central business district) or nearby attractions. The CTA, both bus and elevated train, is a good option if you're looking to go further. Chicago also has a good network of taxis, and there are almost always some available outside Union Station if you're looking for that route.

Station History

I don't know too much about the history of Union Station - if you do, I'd be glad to hear about it! Let me know.

Rental Cars - last updated 03.01.05 | contributed by www.texaseagle.com
The following rental car agencies are available near the station, in order from closest to furthest away.

inside Chicago Union Station
312.928.0539, 1-800-654-3131
9:00a-Noon Sun.; 7:00a-6:00p M-F; 8:00a-2:00p Sat.
Participates in Amtrak Guest Rewards.

555 W. Madison - five blocks northwest
312.906.8300, 1-800-RENT-A-CAR
closed Sun.; 7:00a-6:00p M-F; 9:00a-Noon Sat.
Will pick up with advance notice.

203 N. LaSalle - 0.9 miles northeast
312.236.2581, 1-800-CAR-RENT
9:00a-5:00p Sun.; 7:00a-8:00p M-F; 7:30a-3:30p Sat.
Will reimburse cab fare with receipt.

214 N. Clark St. - 1.0 miles northeast
312.782.8701, 1-800-831-AVIS
7:00a-9:30p Sun.; 6:30a-9:30p M-F; 7:00a-6:00p Sat.

65 E. Lake St. - 1.3 miles northeast
773.686.6800, 1-800-527-0700
Will pick up with advance notice.

Hotels - last updated 03.01.05 | contributed by www.texaseagle.com
A listing of the ten hotels nearest to the station. Click on the address or hotel logo for a link to the specific hotel listed. Pricing Guide: provided for comparison purposes only; more $ symbols means that it's more expensive.
Range: $100 - $160 for one adult, one room, one night.

Food - last updated 03.01.05 | contributed by David Breisch
Union Station features a full-service food court inside the building, with lots of tables and chairs for eating or lounging. Some vendors include:

Local Transportation - last updated 03.01.05 | contributed by www.texaseagle.com
Click on the links in the chart to outside transit agencies.

Visitor Information - last updated 03.02.05 | contributed by www.texaseagle.com
If you're stuck in Chicago with nothing to do (hardly likely), then these links just might be for you. Here are quick links to Chicago tourism bureaus that can help point you in the right direction.

Also check out some of these popular points of interest. Click on the name or address for a link to the website.
Pricing Guide: provided for comparison purposes only; more $ symbols means more expensive.
Range: $10 - $30, excluding free locations; does not include special exhibits at museums and such.

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