Lawmakers from Illinois and several surroundings states have been pushing for federal dollars to bankroll a massive renovation plan at Chicago’s Union Station, and Amtrak’s CEO said that new information could emerge on the project in coming weeks.
Stopping in Chicago to discuss Thanksgiving holiday travel, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said that he is still optimistic that federal funding for the ambitious project will soon get it off the ground.
“We are waiting for some federal grant decisions, made hopefully in the next several weeks in Washington that would provide funding to Amtrak and our state partners here in Illinois and around the Midwest to improve and expand the concourse,” he said.
The Chicago Hub Improvement Project (CHIP) has been a long-term goal of Amtrak, as well as Metra and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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More than two dozen lawmakers have requested funds from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for the project, which would expand Amtrak’s offerings out of Chicago, while also engaging in a massive renovation of platforms at Union Station.
A key component of the program would allow trains to pull directly into Union Station from the south, rather than having to execute a complicated maneuver of riding to the west of the station, and then backing into platforms.
“We ask the Department of Transportation to meet this moment in history by investing in the success of CUS, which serves 3.3 million Amtrak riders annually, along 16 Amtrak intercity rail lines, and more than 30 million riders across all rail services,” the letter read.
More than 50% of Amtrak’s long-distance service utilizes Union Station in Chicago, with more than 90% of Amtrak’s total service outside of the East and West Coasts using the station at some point along their journeys, according to officials.
A total of 29 lawmakers, led by Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, along with Indiana Sens. Mike Braun and Todd Young, signed onto the letter.
The legislators are seeking the funding as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with more than $1 billion being sought to back the $218 million kicked into the project by the state of Illinois, Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, and other agencies and state partners.
More service between Chicago and Indianapolis, as well as Chicago and Minneapolis, are also part of the project. Trains would also be able to use Metra’s Rock Island Line tracks for more frequent service, and faster transit times, to St. Louis and to stations in Texas.
With expanded service and new restorations in the station, Gardner said that the hope ultimately is to bring faster travel times and better options to riders.
“The hope is really to bring back some of the grandeur and capacity that used to be here when the old concourse existed,” he said. “We want to put some of that capacity back and make a much better boarding experience for passengers.”
More information can be found on CHIP’s website.
Gardner also elaborated on a new plan to add a second train between Chicago and Minneapolis each day.
“We’re working hard on bringing service to the Twin Cities,” he said. “We serve it today with our Empire Builder service, but we’re really looking forward to launching a new service with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and with Wisconsin and Illinois. That’s going to be coming next year.”
That train would traverse the 411 miles between Chicago and Minneapolis twice daily, making all stops along the existing Empire Builder Route, as well as a stop at Milwaukee’s airport.
