Amtrak looking for input on Union Station concourse redesign

Amtrak has launched an online survey to gather ideas from the public on designs for planned upgrades to the concourse at Union Station.

The survey, up at chicagounionstation.com, kicks off the design phase of the Concourse Improvement Project that aims to revamp the boarding process, amenities, service and also reduce congestion, Amtrak said in a news release.

It would be the first major enhancement at track level and above at the station since 1991, Amtrak said, adding that designs are being completed ahead of the station’s 100th anniversary next year.

“The station first opened in 1925, and Amtrak will involve our partners and the general public to develop a preferred design that will take us into the next hundred years,” said Jeannie Kwon, an Amtrak vice president.

The survey will be available through the end of January and will also be accessible via a QR code that will be displayed on screens that passengers can scan with their smartphones at the Amtrak-owned station.

Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said the design team isn’t merely collecting opinions from users and will actively consider results in drafting improvements.

“We have funding for a redesign of that area, now the question is what would you like to see in the years to come?” Magliari said. “The result of this is not a suggestion box, but a design.”

In December, Union Station was awarded $93 million in federal funding for upgrades after U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth pushed for the grant.

Among other things, the survey asks residents which services and amenities they consider the most important in new designs, including more retail options, sit-down dining, waiting areas, restrooms, accessibility and more natural light.

The survey states that the station currently “does not meet the demands of a modern train station,” and improvements “will incorporate contemporary thinking around sustainability, inclusivity and universal design.”

The design team is being led by Chicago-based Epstein in partnership with FXCollaborative. Epstein previously designed renovations at O’Hare and Midway airports. 

The concourse redesign project is an element of the larger Chicago Hub Improvement Program, which promises faster travel between Midwest cities.

Nearly 30 lawmakers, led by Durbin and Duckworth, wrote a letter in September asking President Joe Biden to sign off on a grant for the program.

But the funding was far lass than the $873 million that Amtrak sought. Combined with local funding sources, Amtrak’s plan costs $1.1 billion and includes other projects, like rerouting tracks south of the station.

Kwon said work at Union Station “will be performed using federal capital funds, along with generous contributions from our partners for both the design and construction elements of the project.”

This holiday season, Amtrak added more trains and extra cabs for passengers as ridership rose 15% over pre-pandemic levels.