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 at its peak. With the decline of passenger rail in the United States, service was consolidated at Union Station with inter-city Amtrak trains. Commuter railroad Metra continues passenger service at LaSalle Street Station , Millennium Station , and Ogilvie Transportation Center , as well as Union Station. Three Metra services are operated by the Union Pacific Railroad , while another is operated by the BNSF Railway . The South Shore Line , an independent commuter/interurban line operates out of Millennium Station. Most of the terminals that were in the downtown area were called the "Chicago Loop ". Ogilvie Station and Union Station were west of the Chicago River and the Loop; Wells Station was north of the river and the Loop.
The table below shows all railroads that have served downtown Chicago and what terminal they used.
Services partially replaced by or wholly discontinued with Amtrak or Metra are marked in Bold .
Railroads
Successor railroad
Union (PRR )
C&NW / Ogilvie (C&NW )
Randolph / Millennium (IC )
LaSalle Street (CRI&P )
Central (IC)
Dearborn (C&WI )
Grand Central (WC /C&NP )
Great Central (IC)
Other stations
Wells Street (C&NW)
Canal Street
BNSF Railway (Metra branded[ bnsf 1] )
–
1995–present
Union Pacific Railroad (Metra branded[ up 1] )
–
1995–present
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
–
1990–present
Metra
–
1984–present
1987–present
1984–present
Norfolk Southern Railway [ ns 1]
Metra
1982–1993
Northeast Illinois Railroad Corporation
Metra
1982–1984
1981–1984
Conrail
Amtrak
1976–1979
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad
Metra
1972–1987
1972–1987
Amtrak
–
1971–present
1971–1972
Burlington Northern Railroad [ bnsf 2]
BNSF
1970–1995
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
–
1969–1971
Penn Central Transportation Company
Amtrak , Conrail
1968–1976
1968
1968–1971
Norfolk and Western Railway
NIRC
1976–1982
1964–1965
1964–1976
Erie Lackawanna Railway
–
1960–1970
Monon Railroad
–
1956–1971
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad
Amtrak , Metra
1947–1971
Alton Railroad
GM&O
1931–1947
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Amtrak , NIRC
1928–1982
Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad
NICTD
1925–1990
1925–1972
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
–
1969–1971
1925–1930s
1922–1925
1947–1969
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
PRR
1917–1921
New York Central Railroad
PC
1914–1968
1930–1968
Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad
–
1910–1963
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway of Indiana
C&O
1910
1910–1922
Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad
–
1910–c. 1915
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
Metra
1909–1912, 1963–1965
1912–1963
Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend Railway
CSS&SB
1909–1925
1909–1925
Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad
C&O of Indiana
1907–1910
Chicago, Indiana and Southern Railroad
NYC
1906–1914
Pere Marquette Railway
C&O
1904–1947
Indiana Harbor Railroad
CI&S
1904–1906
Grand Trunk Western Railroad
–
1897–1971
Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad
B&OCT
1897–1910
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway
Monon
1897–1956
Chicago Great Western Railway
–
1892–1893, 1894–1955
1893–1894
Chicago, St. Paul and Kansas City Railroad
CGW
1892
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Amtrak
1890–1971
Erie Railroad
EL
1890–1960
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
Pennsylvania Company
1890–1917
Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad
CTT
1890–1897
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
NYC
1893–1930
1889–1893
Chicago and Great Western Railroad
C&NP
1889–1890
Chicago, Santa Fe and California Railway
AT&SF
1888–1890
Wabash Railroad
N&W
1887–1964
Wisconsin Central Railway
MStP&SSM
1900–1909
1887–1900
Louisville, New Albany, and Chicago Railway
CI&L
1885–1897
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
–
1969–1971
1892–1969
1883–1892
Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh Railroad
PCC&StL
1883–1890
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
N&W
1883–1892, 1898–1964
1882–1883, 1892–1898
Chicago and Grand Trunk Railway
GTW
1885–1897
1880–1885
Chicago and Atlantic Railway
C&E
1885–1890
1880–1885
Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway
CCC&StL
1880–1889
Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway
Wabash
1885–1887
1880–1885
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
L&N
1904–1913
1885–1904, 1913–1969
1877–1885
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
CMStP&P
1874–1928
Cincinnati, Lafayette and Chicago Railroad
CIStL&C
1872–1880
Chicago and Pacific Railroad
WStL&P
1872–1879
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
CM&StP
1872–1874
Pennsylvania Company
PRR
1871–1918
Pennsylvania Railroad
PC
1869–1871, 1918–1968
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
NYC
1869–1914
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway
CStL&P
1882–1883
1869–1882
Columbus, Chicago and Indiana Central Railway
PC&St.L
1868–1869
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
C&NW
1866–1980
Chicago and Great Eastern Railway
CC&IC
1866–1868
Chicago and Rock Island Railroad
CRI&P
1866
Chicago and Alton Railroad
Alton
1863–1931
1862–1863
Chicago and North Western Railway
NIRC, UP
1911–1995
1980–1981
1871 –187X
187X–1911
1859–1890
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway
PRR
1861–1869
1858–1861
St. Louis, Alton and Chicago Railroad
Chicago & Alton
1857–1862
Joliet and Chicago Railroad / Chicago and Mississippi Railroad
St.LA&C
1856–1857
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
BN
1881–1970
1856–1881
1855–1856
Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad
LS&MS
1866–1869
1855–1866
Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad
C&NW
1855–1859
Northern Indiana Railroad
MS&NI
1855
Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad
CSt.P&FdL
1854–1855
Chicago and Milwaukee Railway
C&NW
1853–1869
Illinois Central Railroad
Amtrak, ICG
1893–1972
1893–1971
1856–1893
1852–1856
Michigan Central Railroad
NYC
1893–1930
1856–1893
1852–1856
Chicago and Aurora Railroad
CB&Q
1852–1855
Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad
Northern Indiana
1852–1855
Aurora Branch Railroad
Chicago & Aurora
1850s–1852
1849–1850s
Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
C&NW
1856–1857
1852–1869
1848–1852
NOTE : From 1883 to 1892, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had a depot between Madison and Monroe Streets, trackage rights via the Illinois Central Railroad .
The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad ("Nickel Plate Road") used the Illinois Central Railroad local station at 22nd Street in 1882, and the B&O depot in 1883.
Future tenants of Dearborn Station used the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad depot at 12th and State between 1880 and 1885.
The Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway used its own depot before gaining access to 12th and State depot in 1882.
The Chicago, Terre Haute and Southeastern Railway , later part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road"), never had passenger service in the Chicago area.
The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad and the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad used tracks of the Chicago "L" , specifically the Loop Elevated and Wells Street Terminal .
The Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway had a terminal at Archer Avenue and Cicero Avenue.
In the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire , a C&NW freight depot at State and Water Streets was used as a temporary passenger depot since Wells Street Station had burned.
"Canal Street" refers to two depots: the C&NW depot (former Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad) and the original Galena and Chicago Union Railroad depot (later used by the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway ). Both burned in 1871, only the C&NW depot was rebuilt.
About the BNSF Line [ edit ]
About the Union Pacific-operated Metra lines [ edit ]