Chicago Union Station is the result of the vision of famed architect Daniel Burnham and opened in May 1925 after ten years of construction at a cost of $75 million ($1 billion in today’s dollars). Today it is owned by Amtrak. Chicago Union Station is the nation’s 3rd-busiest station overall, and it is Amtrak’s 4th busiest. More than 3 million Amtrak customers and 35 million Metra passengers use the station annually; they utilize over 300 trains per day.
Since 1972, all Amtrak services in Chicago originate and terminate at Chicago Union Station, fulfilling Burnham’s 1909 vision of all intercity trains using the same station without confusing station transfers.
Union Station is currently experiencing a renaissance. Recent projects have restored and re-utilized many spaces surrounding (and including) the historic Great Hall. Current plans call for developing the real estate in and around the station, as well as increasing station capacity, accessibility, and safety to prepare it for the next 100 years.
