Arts & Entertainment

Geoffrey Baer Explores Chicago’s Rail System in New Special

Chicago’s rich culture and diversity can be attributed, in part, to the history of its intricate and expansive railway system.

That story is on full display in WTTW’s new special “Riding the Rails,” produced and hosted by lifelong train enthusiast Geoffrey Baer. In it, Baer examines how Chicago became the rail capital of the United States and how America’s rail network shaped the Windy City’s landscape.

And while train travel is no longer in its golden era, people’s love and nostalgia for the locomotives continues to move full steam.

“I asked everyone I interviewed on this show, ‘Why do we love trains so much?’ and they all said the same thing: ‘I don’t know,’” Baer said. “There’s like some kind of magical appeal that I can’t put my finger on.”

“Riding the Rails With Geoffrey Baer” debuts at 7 p.m. Monday on WTTW. 

For more info and to watch the show online, visit wttw.com/rails.

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