Amtrak to build $112m level boarding platforms at Chicago Union Station

Amtrak and its funding partners will spend $112 million to build Chicago Union Station's first level boarding platforms, converting nine dormant mail-and-parcels platforms to passenger service in a project scheduled to finish within 30 months of the start of major construction, which begins by the end of 2026.

The platforms will serve tracks 30 and higher and allow boarding without ramps, stairs or lifts — a first for the station. They will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and add rail capacity at the busiest hub in Amtrak's network.

Congress funded the project through three streams: a $49.6 million Federal-State Partnership grant covering fiscal years 2022-23, administered by the Federal Railroad Administration; $40 million in FY25 federal appropriations; and $22.4 million in local match contributions from Amtrak, the City of Chicago and Cook County. Amtrak and the Illinois Department of Transportation applied jointly for the federal grant.

What does the conversion change for operations?

The platforms being activated — numbered 30 through 38 — were originally built for mail and parcels traffic and have sat dormant. Converting them to passenger use gives Union Station additional boarding positions that do not require constructing new substructure, cutting cost and delivery time relative to greenfield platform construction.

Each converted platform will offer level boarding, meaning the platform surface aligns with the train floor. Passengers using wheelchairs, walkers or luggage board without mechanical lifts or portable ramps, which removes a dispatch constraint and shortens dwell times on equipped tracks.

The new platforms will also include a climate-controlled waiting area with restrooms — passenger amenities the mail-era tracks never carried.

Why interim capacity matters

Amtrak frames the platforms as more than an accessibility upgrade. Once operational, they will provide critical interim capacity during future station modernisation work, allowing passenger service to continue while other platforms undergo reconstruction.

That sequencing question — what happens to service when existing platforms close — has hung over the wider Chicago Hub Improvement Program. The dormant platforms answer it in part: nine tracks of stand-in capacity available before the main reconstruction begins.

Amtrak Vice President of Infrastructure Project Delivery Warren LeBeau said: "Today marks an exciting milestone for the Chicago Hub Improvement Program as construction begins on Platforms 30 through 38 at Chicago Union Station. This investment will deliver a fully ADA-compliant, level boarding platform that makes travel easier and more convenient for all Amtrak passengers, while launching a new chapter of improvements at the station."

LeBeau added: "Together, these investments are creating a more welcoming, modern, and customer-focused station for the millions of travelers who pass through it each year."

Funding breakdown

The $112 million total comprises:

• $49.6 million — FY22-23 Federal-State Partnership grant, Federal Railroad Administration
• $40 million — FY25 federal appropriations
• $22.4 million — local match from Amtrak, City of Chicago and Cook County

Timeline and outlook

Major construction starts by the end of 2026, with completion expected within 30 months of that date — placing revenue service on the new platforms no later than mid-2029 if the schedule holds. The project is the first visible construction element of the Chicago Hub Improvement Program at the station itself, and its interim-capacity role means later platform reconstruction phases will depend on these tracks being ready first.