- Union Station
- CHICAGO UNION STATION COMPANY
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- Chicago Union Station was completed in 1925
after ten years of construction at a cost of $75 million. Work
was suspended during World War I. This station replaced the Pennsylvania
Railroad station built on the same site in 1881.
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- The station was originally designed by Chigoan
Daniel Burnham, a noted architect of the early 1900s, who died
before construction was begun. The architectural firm of Graham,
Anderson, Probst and White took over the project and are the
architects of record.
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- As originally constructed, Chicago Union
Station consisted of a "headhouse," which housed the
main waiting room and an eight-story office building. This structure
is currently occupied by Amtrak offices and what is now known
as the Great Hall (or main waiting room). There was also a concourse
building which stood above-ground access to the platforms below.
It was demolished in 1969 to make way for the Gateway III office
building.
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- Chicago Union Station is the only railroad
station in the United States with a "double-stub" track
layout. Tracks approach the station from two directions, most
of them deadending at the station concourse rather than passing
through.
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- The exterior of the station is clad in Bedford
limestone quarried in Indiana.
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- The station is owned and operated by the
Chicago Union Station Company, which was formed in 1913 by five
railroads: the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago (Pennsylvania
Railroad); the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis
(Pennsylvania Railroad); the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St.Paul
(Milwaukee Road); the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the
Chicago & Alton. None of the five railroads exist now as
an independent company.
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- The Chicago & Alton experienced financial
difficulties and wound up as a tenant of the station rather than
a shareholder. The railroad's unissued shares are still stored
in the Amtrak accounting office.
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- The Chicago Union Station Company became
a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amtrak when the passenger railroad
purchased the station company in 1984. Metra and Amtrak have
operating agreements with the Chicago Union Station Company for
use of the station's facilities.
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- Chicago Union Station is the third busiest
railroad station in the country and is the fourth busiest Amtrak
station. It is also the busiest railroad terminal in Chicago.
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- The station is served by approximately 50
Amtrak trains and 203 Metra trains on an average weekday.
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- More than 100,000 Amtrak and Metra travelers
pass through Union Station on an average weekday. Of this total,
about 95,000 are Metra commuters making two daily visits and
6,500 are Amtrak intercity passengers.
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