The Daily Dig
Amtrak is launching a $112 million project to build the first level boarding platforms at Chicago Union Station. Once finished, passengers will be able to board without ramps, stairs or lifts.
The work covers Platforms 30 through 38 and is expected to take 30 months. Major construction is scheduled to begin by the end of 2026.
Return to Sender
These platforms were originally built for mail and parcels. They were connected to a post office above the tracks until that post office relocated.
Today the platforms sit dormant. The project will convert them into ADA-compliant passenger platforms that add rail capacity and improve operational flexibility.
The scope also includes a climate-controlled waiting area with restrooms and access for tracks 30 and higher.
There’s a longer game at play as well. The new platforms will provide interim capacity during future station modernization, helping keep passenger service running while other platforms are rebuilt.
On the Level
Amtrak is delivering the work through design-bid-build, with Clark Construction as General Contractor.
WSP USA will continue as Designer of Record and provide construction phase services.
HNTB holds the Project Manager/Construction Manager contract. They’ll provide management support through construction while embedded in Amtrak’s in-house Capital Delivery Department.
Amtrak Vice President of Infrastructure Project Delivery Warren LeBeau framed the stakes: “This investment will deliver a fully ADA-compliant, level boarding platform that makes travel easier and more convenient for all Amtrak passengers, while launching a new chapter of improvements at the station.”
The project is the first in the Chicago Hub Improvement Program (CHIP) to advance to construction.
Laura Saltzman, Senior Policy Analyst at Access Living, Chicago’s Center for Independent Living, put it this way: “This is universal design in action: building access into the journey from the beginning, so people with mobility disabilities can board alongside other passengers.”
Snapshot:
Project: Platform 30-38 Project, Chicago Union Station
Program: Chicago Hub Improvement Program (CHIP), first project to advance to construction
Project Lead: Amtrak
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Sector: Passenger rail
Value: $112 million
Delivery Method: Design-bid-build
General Contractor: Clark Construction
Designer of Record: WSP USA (construction phase services)
PM/CM: HNTB, embedded in Amtrak’s Capital Delivery Department
Scope: Convert dormant mail and parcel platforms into ADA-compliant level boarding platforms; climate-controlled waiting area with restrooms and access for tracks 30 and higher
Duration: 30 months
Status: Major construction to begin by end of 2026
Funding: $49.6 million FY22-23 Federal State Partnership Grant (FRA-administered); $40 million FY25 Federal Appropriations; $22.4 million local match from Amtrak, City of Chicago and Cook County
Grant Applicants: Amtrak and Illinois Department of Transportation
Station Ridership: More than 30 million riders per year (per Sen. Tammy Duckworth)
Future Role: Interim capacity during later station modernization
TheJobWalk Thoughts
Under design-bid-build, anything the drawings missed tends to show up in the change order log. These platforms were originally built for mail and parcels, and converting existing structures is where hidden conditions like to surface. Subs joining this job should know how the contract handles differing site conditions before they mobilize.
The bigger pressure is the schedule. Amtrak is counting on these platforms to carry service while other platforms get rebuilt, so a slip here could squeeze later modernization work. As the first CHIP project to reach construction, it’s also the proving ground for the program that follows.
