Global InformationList of historical passenger rail services in Chicago information
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2014) |
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.
Cite error: There are <ref group=bnsf> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=bnsf}} template (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=up> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=up}} template (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=ns> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=ns}} template (see the help page).