Union Station to Get $40M Upgrade

By Prescott Carlson in News on Oct 4, 2010 9:00PM

Amtrak announced Monday that it's making a $40 million bet with taxpayer money that American's declining love affair with the airline industry will continue to falter, so they're undertaking a two-year project to give their Midwest hub, Union Station, a major upgrade.

In a press release issued by Governor Pat Quinn's office, Amtrak Board Chairman Tom Carper said:

"Improvements to Union Station are a top priority for Amtrak. Illinois is a national leader for passenger rail, and its commitment to work with other Midwestern states to build a robust service network from Union Station will allow us to bring more travelers to and from downtown Chicago."

Among the planned improvements are expanded restrooms, doubling the size of the passenger waiting area, and equipping the station's famous Great Hall with air conditioning. The project will employ about 100 local construction workers. The money for the project will come out of Amtrak's fiscal year 2011 capital projects budget, made up of over $2.6 billion in federal funding.

Amtrak has seen a healthy increase in riders in 2010, most notably between Chicago and St. Louis, where ridership has been up 11 percent. Because of that increased demand, the Chicago-St. Louis line is on the fast track to be converted to high-speed rail in part through $1.2 billion Illinois received this past January from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Things aren't all rosy, however -- despite revenue being on course to meet or exceed all-time records, Amtrak still continues to operate with seven figure losses.