History of passenger rail in Chicago
During the heyday of rail transportation in the first half of the 20th century, Chicago, Illinois reigned as the undisputed railroad center of the United States and was served by six intercity train terminals. With the decline of rail passenger service many of these facilities disappeared; today only Union Station remains in use in a substantially original form, and is the only one served by Amtrak trains. The Chicago and North Western Passenger Terminal has been replaced with a newer station and renamed Ogilvie Transportation Center, and LaSalle Street Station has also been replaced with a newer facility. Millennium Station is on the site of the pre-1893 Illinois Central Railroad Great Central Station, used since then only for commuter trains. All four stations are used by Metra commuter service.
The table below shows all lines that have served downtown Chicago and what terminal they used. A red background indicates that the railroad owned a part or full share of the terminal.
| railroad | Great Central Station (1856–1893) Central Station (1893–1972) |
Dearborn (1885–1971) |
LaSalle Street (1852–present) |
Grand Central (1890–1969) |
Union Station (1881–present) |
Wells Street (1881–1911) North Western (1911–present) |
others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Central Railroad | 1856–1972 (under Amtrak) | 1972–present (under Amtrak) | Millennium Station (formerly Randolph Street) 1893–present (commuter lines only, under Metra) | ||||
| Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad (IC) | ?-1971 | 1974–1981 (under Amtrak) | |||||
| Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville Railroad (C&O) | 1907–1910 1925–1933 |
1910–1925 | 1974–1977 (under Amtrak) | Hammond ? | |||
| Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (NYC) | ?-1972 (under Amtrak) | 1972–1973 (under Amtrak) | |||||
| Michigan Central Railroad (NYC) | ?-1957 | 1957–1968 | 1968–present (under Amtrak) | ||||
| Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad | Millennium Station (formerly Randolph Street) 1912–present (under NICTD) | ||||||
| Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad | 1885?–1964 | ||||||
| Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad | 1885–1968 | 1974–1975 (under Amtrak) | |||||
| The Monon (Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway) | 1885–1967 | 1975–1979 (under Amtrak) 1980–present (under Amtrak) |
|||||
| Chicago and Erie Railroad (Erie) | 1885–1970 | ||||||
| Grand Trunk Western Railroad | 1885–1971 | ||||||
| Wabash Railroad (to St. Louis) | 1885–1976 | 1976–present (under Metra) | |||||
| Wabash Railroad (to Buffalo) | ? | ||||||
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ?-1971 (under Amtrak) | 1971–1996 (under Amtrak) | |||||
| Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (NYC) | 1852–1900 1903–1968 |
1900–1903 | 1968–present (under Amtrak) | ||||
| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad | 1852–1900 1903–present (under Metra) |
1900–1903 | |||||
| New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) 1964, absorbed by the Norfolk & Western Railway |
1882–1892 | ?-1965 | |||||
| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad | ?-1892/1893? | 1892/1893?-1969 | 1977–1981 (under Amtrak) 1982–1986 (under Amtrak) 1990–1995 (under Amtrak) 1996–2005 (under Amtrak) |
1969–1971 | |||
| Chicago Great Western Railway | 1890–1956 | ||||||
| Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway | 1899–1912 1965 |
1890–1899 1912–1965 |
1996–present (under Metra) | ||||
| Pere Marquette Railway (C&O) | ?-1903 | 1903–1969 | 1984–present (under Amtrak) | 1969–1971 | |||
| Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad | 1856–? | 1881–present (under Amtrak) | |||||
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (to Milwaukee) | 1881–present (under Amtrak and Metra) | ||||||
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (to Omaha) | 1881–present (under Metra) | ||||||
| Chicago and Evanston Railroad (MILW) | 1885–1908 | ||||||
| Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (PRR) | 1881–1971 1972–1974 (under Amtrak) |
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| Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway (PRR) | 1881–1990 (under Amtrak) | ||||||
| Alton Railroad | ?-1881 | 1858–? | 1881–present (under Amtrak and Metra) | ||||
| Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (C&NW) | 1881–present (under Metra) | G&CU Depot 1848–1856[1] | |||||
| Chicago and Milwaukee Railway (C&NW) | |||||||
| Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad (C&NW) |
NOTE: The Chicago, Terre Haute and Southeastern Railway, later part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, never had passenger service in the Chicago area.