Chicago Union Station
Chicago Union Station serves Chicago, IL, and is a stop on 18 regularly scheduled passenger rail services.
Station Facts
- City
- Chicago, IL
- Amtrak code
- CHI
- Opened
- 1925
- Routes served
- 18
- Address
- 225 S Canal St, Chicago, IL 60606
About this station
Chicago Union Station is the principal passenger rail facility serving Chicago in Illinois. The station first opened to passenger service in 1925 and remains in active use today. It is one of more than five hundred stations in the national passenger rail network and one of 26 regularly served stations in Illinois. Travelers researching this station's architecture and history may find heritage rail station archives a useful supplemental reference.
The station serves as a calling point for the trains listed below. Equipment, dwell times, and onboard amenities vary by route — long-distance trains generally include sleeping cars, dining service, and a Sightseer or Cafe lounge, while corridor and commuter trains operate as coach-only sets with a snack vendor or cafe car. Refer to each route's detail page for the equipment typically assigned and the schedule frequency.
Routes calling at Chicago Union Station
| Route | Type | Operator | Endpoints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | Long-Distance | Amtrak | New York ↔ Chicago |
| Lake Shore Limited | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Boston ↔ Hudson |
| Capitol Limited | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Washington ↔ Chicago |
| Floridian | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Chicago ↔ Hialeah |
| City of New Orleans | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Chicago ↔ New Orleans |
| Texas Eagle | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Chicago ↔ San Antonio |
| California Zephyr | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Chicago ↔ Emeryville |
| Southwest Chief | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Chicago ↔ Los Angeles |
| Empire Builder | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Chicago ↔ Portland |
| Hiawatha Service | State-Supported Corridor | Amtrak (WisDOT/IDOT) | Chicago ↔ Milwaukee |
| Borealis | State-Supported Corridor | Amtrak (MnDOT/WisDOT) | Chicago ↔ St. Paul |
| Lincoln Service | State-Supported Corridor | Amtrak (IDOT) | Chicago ↔ St. Louis |
| Wolverine | State-Supported Corridor | Amtrak (MDOT) | Chicago ↔ Pontiac |
| Blue Water | State-Supported Corridor | Amtrak (MDOT) | Chicago ↔ Port Huron |
| Pere Marquette | State-Supported Corridor | Amtrak (MDOT) | Chicago ↔ Grand Rapids |
| Illinois Zephyr & Carl Sandburg | State-Supported Corridor | Amtrak (IDOT) | Chicago ↔ Quincy |
| Saluki & Illini | State-Supported Corridor | Amtrak (IDOT) | Chicago ↔ Carbondale |
| Metra Commuter Rail | Commuter Rail | Metra | Chicago ↔ Summit |
Popular trips from Chicago
Sample one-way travel times and fare ranges for the most-searched origin-destination pairs touching Chicago Union Station. Click through any pair for trip-level guidance, including connecting services and schedule frequency.
| From | To | Route | Time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawfordsville | Chicago | Cardinal | 1h 18m | $42 – $213 |
| Newark | Chicago | Cardinal | 21h 58m | $95 – $480 |
| Philadelphia | Chicago | Cardinal | 20h 48m | $92 – $465 |
| Wilmington | Chicago | Cardinal | 19h 40m | $89 – $450 |
| Baltimore | Chicago | Cardinal | 18h 32m | $86 – $436 |
| Washington | Chicago | Cardinal | 17h 22m | $83 – $421 |
| Alexandria | Chicago | Cardinal | 16h 14m | $80 – $406 |
| Manassas | Chicago | Cardinal | 15h 5m | $77 – $391 |
| Culpeper | Chicago | Cardinal | 13h 56m | $74 – $376 |
| Charlottesville | Chicago | Cardinal | 12h 47m | $72 – $361 |
| Staunton | Chicago | Cardinal | 11h 39m | $69 – $347 |
| Clifton Forge | Chicago | Cardinal | 10h 29m | $66 – $332 |
| Charleston | Chicago | Cardinal | 9h 21m | $63 – $317 |
| Huntington | Chicago | Cardinal | 8h 11m | $60 – $302 |
| South Portsmouth | Chicago | Cardinal | 7h 3m | $57 – $287 |
| Maysville | Chicago | Cardinal | 5h 54m | $54 – $272 |
| Cincinnati | Chicago | Cardinal | 4h 45m | $51 – $257 |
| Connersville | Chicago | Cardinal | 3h 36m | $48 – $243 |
Getting to and from the station
Most major stations include taxi stands, rideshare pickup zones, and connecting public transit. Long-term and short-term parking is generally available at corridor and long-distance stations; small flag-stop stations may be unstaffed and have limited facilities. We recommend confirming station amenities with the operator before traveling, especially for early-morning or late-night arrivals. For ground-transport options at major U.S. terminals, the station-to-downtown ground transport directory is a handy companion.
Tickets & fares
RailRover does not sell tickets. To book travel from Chicago Union Station, visit the operating carrier directly. Typical advance-purchase fares from this station start at the lower bound shown for each pair above; same-day walk-up fares typically sit at the upper end of the range. Discount programs (Amtrak Guest Rewards, AAA, military, student, and senior discounts on many corridor services) can reduce these figures further.
Related Station Guides
- A practical visitor's guide to Chicago's downtown transit hub
- Hotels within a short walk of major rail terminals