More than two dozen lawmakers have signed a letter addressed to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, urging the Biden Administration to allocate resources for the Chicago Hub Improvement Project.
That project, known as CHIP, would expand Amtrak service to numerous locations, while also allowing for dozens of improvement projects at Chicago’s Union Station, a key hub in Amtrak’s network of participating stations.
“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.
The CHIP program would, among other things, enable faster service between Chicago and Indianapolis, as well as between Chicago and multiple stations in Michigan, according to the letter.
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The project would allow trains to pull directly into Union Station from the south instead of having to back into the station, saving time on routes.
It would also establish the “Great River Service,” with trains ultimately connecting Chicago and Minneapolis. That would be achieved through expanded service on the Hiawatha line between Chicago and Milwaukee, which would then connect riders at Eau Claire and Madison, Wisconsin, to train service bound for Minneapolis.
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It would also enable trains destined for St. Louis and Texas to use Metra’s Rock Island Line, which would in turn mean faster transit times to Joliet.
Improvements on platforms at Chicago’s Union Station would be part of the project, as well as reactivating platforms that were formerly used by the United States Postal Service.
More information can be found on CHIP’s website.
