Chicago Union Station discussion

[Rambling Robert]

If you have sleeper accommodations leaving Chicago, or same day connection, you can wait in the Metropolitan Lounge....

PLEASE NOTE: I was n error and a $50 Coach pass is no longer available in Chicago. The following is from an experience I had a few years ago.,

A day pass for coach passengers can be purchased for $50. That includes the downstairs and upstairs lounge. (I prefer the upstairs) Limited snacks and drinks. . Both levels have bathrooms the main level has showers. Just check in with the countar clerk and schedule a shower time. The men and women room each haa two shower rooms. Lots of teak Scandinavian feel.

In typical Amtrak classiness and style,

There’s a container with shampoo and soap, but it might be best to bring your own. Start out by going to the counter person getting the key and some towels and then go to whichever shower is available. Unlock the door locked yourself in while you’re showering. Scale of one to 10 I would give the showers about a nine because I would prefer the individual shower shampoo and soap etc. for nine and a ten you will be impressed.

 

[joelkfla]

A day pass for coach passengers can be purchased for $50. That includes the downstairs and upstairs lounge.e impressed.

Coach passengers cannot pay cash for access to the lounges anymore. Business class passengers can. AGR members can purchase a day pass with points.

 

[Rambling Robert]

Thanks for letting me know

How about Coach passengers using RedCap??. Is that allowed?

 

[joelkfla]

Thanks for letting me know

How about Coach passengers using RedCap??. Is that allowed?

Anyone can use a Red Cap, but I don't think that alone will get you lounge access. But I don't know, Red Caps do seem to have special powers.

 

[TinCan782]

Anyone can use a Red Cap, but I don't think that alone will get you lounge access. But I don't know, Red Caps do seem to have special powers.

Normally, you have to show a sleeper ticket to the desk person at CUS Lounge. I believe you are correct that anyone can use Red Caps.

 

[OMGeekness]

What train are you riding? Most trains depart from the south side. Only the Empire Builder and the trains to Milwaukee leave from the north side. Around 30 minutes the track numbers are announced and posted on big signs near the entrance to the platform.

Cardinal 50

Something doesn't jibe here.

To get to the Platforms @ Union Station in Chicago you have to go inside the Station.( which as you say is Large and very busy most of the time with Commuters and Amtrak Passengers)

I suggest that you call Amtrak ( be prepared for a wait) and get clarification on this vague message!

No, the email states there is no access to the station. Here's what it says:

Please head directly to the platform to board. There will be no access to the station, ticket office, checked baggage area, or restrooms. Please print your tickets ahead of time or have them on your mobile device. Otherwise, you'll need to show the conductor a valid photo ID and your reservation number. If you haven't paid for your reservation, you'll need to do it beforehand. Reservations paid for on the train may be charged at a higher rate than the fare quoted when you made the reservation.

I did call Amtrak and was advised by the representative that as it is a staffed location, there will still be staff to assist even if the station is closed. Not really sure how that will work if there's no access to the station itself unless there's people staffed outside? I'm still pretty concerned with this.

 

[John Santos]

Hi all, I am new here so please let me know if this is the wrong place to post.

In a few weeks I will be going on my very first Amtrak. I have already been a little apprehensive, but that has since amplified after receiving an email from Amtrak stating that the station I will be departing from will be closed on my date of travel.

The email reads that as the station will be closed, I would need to just walk to the platform for departure.

The thing is, I'll be at the Chicago Union Station, which I've learned is apparently a pretty big station in which there is a North side and a South side, each with their own sets of tracks. How will I know which side to go to? Or even how to get to the platform? How would I know which tracks to go to? And where would I wait for my train?

I'm sorry if these questions seem a little dumb; I'm just very nervous and just don't want to miss my ride home.

Can you actually copy and post the email you received. (Edit out any personal information!)

This sounds very strange. There is no notice of Chicago Union Station (CUS) being closed at any time in the near future. I don't know if it is open 24x7, or closes late at night, but the Capitol Limited normally leaves CUS at 6:40 PM and CUS is ALWAYS open at that time. It is a major commuter station as well as an Amtrak station and this is near the end of the evening rush hour. It is hours before the departure times of several Amtrak Long Distance trains.

So far as I know, it is impossible to get to the boarding platforms without going into and through the station. There are no outdoor stairs, elevators or escalators to the platforms. Everything is inside the station. To get to the platforms without entering the station, you would have to scale a 20-30' vertical wall and walk a mile or more along extremely active tracks, crossing many of them. It is unlikely you would actually get to the platform without either being killed or arrested for trespassing. That simply cannot be what they are telling you to do.

There is a major construction project going on rebuilding Clinton St on the west side of CUS. This is a city project, not Amtrak. It has been going on since October and will continue for another year. Several entrances to CUS on the Clinton St side are closed, off and on, during the project, but that just means you would have to use an entrance on the East side (Canal St) or maybe in the building directly across Canal St (clearly marked "Amtrak" last time I was there), which has an entrance that leads downstairs to the same waiting rooms, platforms and tracks. See the Amtrak announcement page.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Hi all, I am new here so please let me know if this is the wrong place to post.

In a few weeks I will be going on my very first Amtrak. I have already been a little apprehensive, but that has since amplified after receiving an email from Amtrak stating that the station I will be departing from will be closed on my date of travel.

The email reads that as the station will be closed, I would need to just walk to the platform for departure.

The thing is, I'll be at the Chicago Union Station, which I've learned is apparently a pretty big station in which there is a North side and a South side, each with their own sets of tracks. How will I know which side to go to? Or even how to get to the platform? How would I know which tracks to go to? And where would I wait for my train?

I'm sorry if these questions seem a little dumb; I'm just very nervous and just don't want to miss my ride home.

What is your destination? Maybe the computer that generated the email is confused. Also, verify the ticket shows CHI as your departing station.

Are you starting your trip from a station outside of Chicago, like maybe Milwaukee, then connecting to a train at Chicago Union Station?

 

[John Bredin]

So far as I know, it is impossible to get to the boarding platforms without going into and through the station. There are no outdoor stairs, elevators or escalators to the platforms. Everything is inside the station. To get to the platforms without entering the station, you would have to scale a 20-30' vertical wall and walk a mile or more along extremely active tracks, crossing many of them.

Technically, there IS a direct entrance to the northern platforms only, the stairs-only Madison St. entrance. But:

(1) it's not at all accessible, and useless with any large amount of luggage, due to having only stairs,

(2) it has a big rolling gate so it can be closed when the station is closed, and

(3) the stairs lead only to platforms commonly used by Metra. The northern platforms used by Amtrak, and all the southern platforms, can be accessed only from the station.

CUS can't close until after the last Metra departures, which are after midnight.

 

[Bonser]

Normally, you have to show a sleeper ticket to the desk person at CUS Lounge. I believe you are correct that anyone can use Red Caps.

Yes,Red Caps are for assistance, not a privileged perc

 

[Deni]

Cardinal 50


No, the email states there is no access to the station. Here's what it says:

Please head directly to the platform to board. There will be no access to the station, ticket office, checked baggage area, or restrooms. Please print your tickets ahead of time or have them on your mobile device. Otherwise, you'll need to show the conductor a valid photo ID and your reservation number. If you haven't paid for your reservation, you'll need to do it beforehand. Reservations paid for on the train may be charged at a higher rate than the fare quoted when you made the reservation.

I did call Amtrak and was advised by the representative that as it is a staffed location, there will still be staff to assist even if the station is closed. Not really sure how that will work if there's no access to the station itself unless there's people staffed outside? I'm still pretty concerned with this.

It seems to me reading this that the main station is closed, so the Great Hall and the way leading to Metra ticket office and platforms. But that the mezzanine and concourses would be open so that would be the way to get to the tracks. So you would go into the mezzanine level on Adams or Jackson next to the Chicago River, then take the escalators down to the concourse to access the platforms. At least that's the way I read it. If I'm right then the email from Amtrak should have been way more clear and informative than that. The concourses will be madness with all those people that would normally be waiting in the Great Hall.

I would also guess that it is likely the Metropolitan Lounge will be closed as well.

 

[TinCan782]

There is a major construction project going on rebuilding Clinton St on the west side of CUS. This is a city project, not Amtrak. It has been going on since October and will continue for another year. Several entrances to CUS on the Clinton St side are closed, off and on, during the project, but that just means you would have to use an entrance on the East side (Canal St) or maybe in the building directly across Canal St (clearly marked "Amtrak" last time I was there), which has an entrance that leads downstairs to the same waiting rooms, platforms and tracks. See the Amtrak announcement page.

The Amtrak alert you linked to describes the construction taking place on Canal Street, not Clinton. Within that alert is a link to a map which corresponds to the description in the alert.
https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content...DUuODY5MDk0MTc3LjE3MTExMTcyMzMuMTcxMTExNzIzMw..

 

[Eric in East County]

Is the CUS Metropolitan Lounge open?

 

[TinCan782]

Is the CUS Metropolitan Lounge open?

As far as I can tell, everything INSIDE the station is the same. It is just the outside construction (Canal Street) that is potentially affecting access.
Amtrak announcement

 

[west point]

Is it possible that the great hall is having some uppity uppity gala?

 

[Rambling Robert]

Coach passengers cannot pay cash for access to the lounges anymore. Business class passengers can. AGR members can purchase a day pass with points.

A phone conversation that I just had - an AGR agent told me that $50 will buy a day pass for a coach passengers at CHI’s Metropolitan lounge. I did use the lounge during the pandemic on a $50 day pass .

Oh yeah, I hate asking directions and the Food Court takeout restaurants are not that easy to find.


When the last train leaves, the Metropolitan lounge is locked for the night. Good luck finding someone that has the key. Ha ha.

 

[joelkfla]

A phone conversation that I just had - an AGR agent told me that $50 will buy a day pass for a coach passengers at CHI’s Metropolitan lounge. I did use the lounge during the pandemic on a $50 day pass .

Oh yeah, I hate asking directions and the Food Court takeout restaurants are not that easy to find.


When the last train leaves, the Metropolitan lounge is locked for the night. Good luck finding someone that has the key. Ha ha.

The website only mentions Business Class passengers buying a day pass for $35, and I think I remember some people posting that they were turned away at the entrance a few months ago. The verbiage saying "all passengers" could buy a day pass at Chicago was removed from the web page sometime after October 2023.

Perhaps there's been a partial retreat from the policy change.

 

[John Santos]

The Amtrak alert you linked to describes the construction taking place on Canal Street, not Clinton. Within that alert is a link to a map which corresponds to the description in the alert.
https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content...DUuODY5MDk0MTc3LjE3MTExMTcyMzMuMTcxMTExNzIzMw..

Oops! Yes, I somehow got Canal Street and Clinton Street swapped in my head after reading the Amtrak notice about 3 times to see if it said anything about CUS itself being closed, and after looking closely at the map. Good catch! The Great Hall, the Metropolitan Lounge, and some of the side offices and public spaces, and many of the stairs and escalators are in the building labelled "Union Station" on the map. The Great Hall and Metro Lounge are at track level (or a few feet higher as there is a shallow ramp down to the track area) about two stories below street level. The station and other waiting areas and the doors leading to the platforms are mostly under Canal Street and the building labelled "222 South Riverside Plaza" on the map. There are entrances to the station in that building as well.

The doors leading to the south platforms are to the east of the Great Hall and Metro Lounge, on the south side of the station, mostly under Canal Street and 222 S Riverside. The doors leading to the north platforms are to the east of the Great Hall on the north side, also mostly under Canal St and 222 S Riverside.

The passageway to the south side platforms from the Great Hall is pretty straight-forward; past the Metro Lounge, slight bend to the right and down a short, shallow ramp (or 2 or 3 steps) and the doors are on your right. The path to the north side platforms is more convoluted, and harder to follow. Lots of Metra trains board from the north platforms, but I've only ever used that side to board the Empire Builder and just followed the guides from the Metro Lounge. Wandering around the station, on my own, not rushing to catch a train, I found it pretty confusing, but not nearly as bad as Penn Station.

There are also one, two or three through tracks (depending on how you count, they merge and branch off again!) on the east side of the station, under or between 222 S Riverside and the river, which doesn't show on the map. I don't think any trains actually board from those tracks, or if they do, the trains actually park on either the north or south side and the platforms are accessed through either the north or south doors, depending on which direction the train is departing. Once you've found the platform doors, the doors and platforms are well marked for which door leads to which train.

All the tracks and platforms are at the same level, at the floor level of the Great Hall and Metro Lounge about twenty to twenty-five feet (about two stories) below street level. Between the waiting room/platform/track level and the street level is the mezzanine level which is mostly the food court. There are multiple stairs, escalators and elevators leading up and down to mezzanine and main station level, but sometimes it is hard to find an escalator going to where you want to go! The easiest stairs to find are the enormous marble stairs in the Great Hall, which lead from the street all the way down to the hall, with no access to the mezzanine. These stairs feature prominently in several movies, including a shoot-out in The Untouchables featuring a baby carriage bouncing down the stairs while bullets fly, a scene that was stolen directly from Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 classic The Battleship Potemkin.

 

[lstone19]

The passageway to the south side platforms from the Great Hall is pretty straight-forward; past the Metro Lounge, slight bend to the right and down a short, shallow ramp (or 2 or 3 steps) and the doors are on your right. The path to the north side platforms is more convoluted, and harder to follow.

It must be that your lack of familiarity makes you think going to the north side platforms is more convoluted as it's actually just the mirror image of what you do to get the south side platforms: "past the Metropolitan Lounge, slight bend to the left and down a short, shallow ramp (or 2 or 3 steps) and the doors are on your left" and is no harder to follow.

Commuting in and out of CUS for six years in the 2010s, I actually thought there was some very good design elements to how passengers flowed there but this was before Amtrak started using the Great Hall as the waiting room. Back then, with the Amtrak waiting room on the east side at track level, there was very little interaction between the typical Amtrak passenger flow and the typical Metra passenger flow. Metra passengers largely walked to/from work in the loop so, from the perspective of departing passengers, entered via the entrances off Adams and Jackson by the Chicago River (Riverside Plaza). Those took them down to the mezzanine past the food court and the down to the west end of the boarding concourses where the Metra trains were. Meanwhile, Amtrak passengers, more often being dropped off by cab or other vehicles, entered from Canal St. and down escalators in the center which took them into what was then the Amtrak ticketing area and from there directly into the Amtrak waiting room which in turn led to the east end of the boarding concourses where the Amtrak trains were. That changed when Amtrak started using the Great Hall but even then, Metra passengers using the Riverside Plaza entrances still had little interaction with Amtrak passengers except when Amtrak was doing a kindergarten walk from the Great Hall to a train.

 

[WWW]

OK just a casual observation - - - - -

It is a zoo and then some at CUS. Until you have navigated and negotiated the maze a few times it would seem to be an impossible dream that someone would design this abomination.

Anyway so much for that diatribe - - -

Reference this Google LINK:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8788571,-87.640613,281m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

This map image is zooomable in & out - pan right & left - up & down

Union Station the Great Hall is in the center of the image (see little white bus on blue background).

There are 4 entrances to the Great Hall - only the Canal Street one is open while the Clinton Street closed (for renovation).

The Adams (north) and Jackson (south) entrances are signed to use the Canal street entrance -
although you can enter from Jackson street --- but beware the stairs to take you down to the Great Hall floor.
Not Handicap accessible at this point. Presume that the Adams*** entrance is the same as the Jackson.
*** Have not used the Adams - the Jackson entrance is the closest to the Blue Line from O'Hare airport.

The train station is the building to the right of the Great Hall - (East or River side)
You can enter from either side of Canal Street - the west side into the Great Hall - the east side down 2 levels to the station.

The first level below the street is the food and concession court.

The second level is the concourses to trains/tracks - waiting areas - Baggage Claim - Metropolitan Lounge and the Great Hall***
*** tunnel under Canal Street - * - it is complicated - * -
The station is accessible from the aforementioned Canal Street entry --- and from the opposite NE and SE corners through the food concession court.

Adams from the NE corner and Jackson from SE either of these would be used from walking from the Orange Line from Midway Airport --- about 2-3 blocks east crossing the Chicago river (hold on to your hats and gear Chicago isn't called "The Windy City" haphazzardly) !

From the food/concession court you would need to find the escalators to go down one more level to the station trains and tracks

I did not need an elevator - you will have ask*** where it is or take life and limb down the escalator or stairs.
*** a RED Cap will be able to help you with this !

I started this post with: It is a zoo and then some at CUS. Until you have navigated and negotiated the maze a few times it would seem to be an impossible dream that someone would design this abomination.
I still feel very strongly about this - maybe some of you will agree !

 

[ThomB]

Thanks for the details. We will be there in May to catch the Zephyr. After seeing the above posts I'm glad we decided to stay near the station the night before departure. I was hoping we could access the station from the SE since we are staying on the other side of the water at Jackson and Franklin. I haven't been to Union Station for quite a while so I appreciate the details in the earlier posts.

 

[railiner]

CUS can't close until after the last Metra departures, which are after midnight.

What happens when an Amtrak arrival is extremely delayed...several hours past midnight? Surely they have to remain partially open until then?

 

[Shanson]

@John Santos , your descriptions were reasonably accurate, but the construction has impacted the corridor containing the baggage claim, Amtrak ticketing and Greyhound counter. Passengers in the Lounge are no longer escorted, they do not go down the corridor past the restrooms or take the curved ramp. Coach and sleeper passengers are mingled, but separated just before reaching the platform. Sleeper pax wind up in the old coach waiting area. (Coach pax now wait in the Great Hall.)

The construction can't be over too soon.

 

[WWW]

What happens when an Amtrak arrival is extremely delayed...several hours past midnight? Surely they have to remain partially open until then?

Arrived after 11 pm (ole reliable late number 8) everyone hustled off the train through the south concourse -
checked baggage - and up onto Canal Street and left to ones own resources !
It felt like a rapid evacuation of a morgue in a plague condition !
Embarrassing enough I needed to use the restroom and had to have a cop let me back into the closed building !
Jeez Louise they sure wanted to close up in a flash and weren't allowing for human comfort !

Arrivals after midnight and even later probably handled the same way ?

 

[railiner]

Arrivals after midnight and even later probably handled the same way ?

That is truly sad, in a city the size of Chicago, and such a busy hub. I guess they don't want to pay a lick of overtime, to provide station services, if they can avoid it. I would imagine they have janitorial and security working there all night, as many busy places do. It shouldn't be such a big deal to let stranded passenger's wait there as long as necessary, even until morning re-opening if necessary, but I guess they just don't want to be bothered....