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Pritzker, Transportation Leaders Celebrate Union Station’s Centennial as Chicago-Area Transit Fiscal Cliff Looms

As transportation officials and statewide leaders gathered Tuesday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chicago’s Union Station, Gov. JB Pritzker said he’s confident that legislation will pass to address the $770 million fiscal cliff facing Chicago-area transit agencies.

“The hard work that’s being put in by members of the legislature, working with members of the transit community and with my office, if that is any indication, I’m confident that something will get done,” Pritzker told reporters Tuesday. “I feel very confident that we’re not going to let transit in the state of Illinois … fail as a result of a failure to get something done in the legislature.”

During the event to celebrate Union Station’s centennial, leaders highlighted the station’s history, architecture and its role in Chicago serving as a national railroad hub.

Union Station on July 22, 2025. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)

In the past decade, the station has seen nearly $70 million in improvements, such as repairing skylights in the Great Hall, replacing its famous grand staircases and a new lounge, according to officials.

The station, owned by Amtrak since 1984, serves both Amtrak and Metra commuters.

Amtrak is working with Metra to improve intercity passenger rail service and train infrastructure through the Chicago Hub Improvement Program. The first of the CHIP projects will start construction next year, activating tracks and platforms no longer used by the Postal Service, said Amtrak Executive Vice President Jennifer Mitchell.

Union Station on July 22, 2025. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)Union Station on July 22, 2025. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)

At the same time, the future of Chicago-area public transit is in limbo as CTA, Metra and Pace face a $770 million fiscal cliff next year, when federal COVID-19 relief funding runs out.

Regional Transportation Authority Chair Kirk Dillard, whose government agency oversees the Chicago region’s transit system, said a lack of funding could lead to service cuts.

“Certainly we need to fill the fiscal cliff, which is generally around $770 million, but we need additional monies to improve service,” Dillard said. “If we do not get our basic ask of about $1.5 billion, we’ll have significant service cuts, cuts that could be up to 40% of the service.”

Gov. JB Pritzker speaking with Regional Transportation Authority Chair Kirk Dillard, Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi and Amtrak Executive Vice President Jennifer Mitchell at Union Station on July 22, 2025. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)

Union Station was first designed by famed Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, with the final design by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, according to the station’s website. The station, sporting a Greek revival, Beaux Arts design, opened May 16, 1925. A formal grand opening ceremony was held July 23, 1925.

Today, more than 100,000 passengers pass through Union Station each day, making it the third-busiest rail terminal in the country, according to the governor’s office.

Union Station on July 22, 2025. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)

Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]

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