Getting from O'Hare to Union Station

[Metra Electric Rider]

There is no direct walking connection between Chicago Union Station and any CTA L/Subway station.

What you found was the underground connection between the bus transit center, across the street from Union Station and the Union Station south concourse. This path will also lead to a parking garage under the newish BMO/Harris headquarters, which gets you to Clinton Street a block from the CTA Blue Line station. Where you still have to navigate stairs and a narrow escalator in a station which was never really built to service intercity railroad travelers, even though it was built in the 1940s (and hasn't been updated much since.)

For other identifiers around Chicago Union Station, see this thread where I offered a recent photo essay and there is a video from someone who used it to travel via Amtrak a few months ago.

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/chicago-union-station-discussion.83465/page-10#post-1045824

Shhhh, don't tell them about the 312/773/606 only subway system or it'll be crawling with tourists!!!!

 

[fairviewroad]

Did the OP say when their redeye arrived? Depending on that, the CTA might be the only rail option w/o a long wait.

On weekdays the first inbound METRA train departs O'Hare at 6:17 a.m. and even outside the DNC special service, the inbound trains run reasonably often during the morning rush. So a red-eye may actually be the best kind of flight to use METRA for. A great many red-eyes arrive between 5 and 6 a.m., so by the time you deplane and ride the airport tram out to METRA, you probably won't have to wait too long for the first train.

All bets are off on weekends, when the normal METRA service isn't running and even during the DNC the first inbound train isn't until 7:45.

 

[Cal]

On weekdays the first inbound METRA train departs O'Hare at 6:17 a.m. and even outside the DNC special service, the inbound trains run reasonably often during the morning rush. So a red-eye may actually be the best kind of flight to use METRA for. A great many red-eyes arrive between 5 and 6 a.m., so by the time you deplane and ride the airport tram out to METRA, you probably won't have to wait too long for the first train.

Yep, that's the plan. Definitely leaning for Metra right now, but probably won't make the final decision for a little while. All your replies have been very helpful though.

I'd be real tempted to just take the Blue line to Clark/Lake and enjoy the few blocks' walk to Union Station before a very long train ride.

Oh I'll be doing a lot in Chicago before boarding the Zephyr. My only worry is getting enough sleep to do all that I hope to do.