Amtrak starting $40-million upgrade for Chicago Union Station

Amtrak has begun work to improve Union Station in Chicago and relieve some Amtrak passenger overcrowding by nearly doubling the seating in its general passenger lounges, increasing the number of public rest rooms and by providing air conditioning in the Great Hall for the first time since the early 1960s. The $40-million project is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.

In concert with these passenger-related
improvements, Amtrak is moving forward to create a redevelopment plan for the
historic station’s Headhouse Building and has selected Jones Lang LaSalle to
conduct a feasibility study on the best plan for its use.

"Improvements to Amtrak
Chicago Union Station are a top priority," said Thomas Carper, Chairman, Amtrak
Board of Directors, in a kickoff ceremony Oct. 4 in Union Station’s Great Hall.
"Illinois is a national leader for passenger rail, and its commitment to work
with other Midwestern states to build a robust service network from Union
Station will allow us to bring more travelers to and from Downtown Chicago."

"This major construction
project will put Illinoisans back to work and help Union Station give visitors
to the city of Chicago a welcome befitting the Land of Lincoln," said Gov. Pat
Quinn, whose grandfather worked on the original Union Station, which opene4d in
1925. "New high-speed passenger rail service will bring thousands of visitors
to downtown Chicago, boosting our tourism industry and supporting Illinois’
continued economic recovery."

By summer 2011, air
conditioning will return to the Great Hall and Amtrak passengers will be able
to use it as a waiting area as it was originally intended. More than 40 years
ago, the railroads that previously shared ownership of the station abandoned
the system that cooled the Great Hall.

By the end of 2012, seating
in the north and south boarding lounges for coach and business class passengers
will expand to 950 seats – nearly double the current 450 – by relocating the
area used by sleeping car passengers. Additional rest rooms will also be
installed on the Concourse (track) Level, which was last improved in 1991.

For passengers traveling on
long-distance, overnight trains, the relocated Metropolitan Lounges will have
nearly 200 seats, an increase of 50, by moving it into an area between the
Concourse and the Great Hall.

With air conditioning, the
Great Hall will become a year-round event venue, generating increased rental
income. The remaining Headhouse space will also become more attractive for
lease by Amtrak and its Chicago Union Station Co.

Amtrak will reduce costs by
moving its regional offices from leased space south of the station into parts
of two lower floors of the Headhouse by the end of 2011.

During the past two years,
at a cost of $7 million, Amtrak removed the primitive air conditioning and
other obsolete equipment from the lower levels of the Headhouse while repairing
the façade and making other fire and life-safety improvements to facilitate use
of the upper floors of the 85-year-old building.

Jones Lang LaSalle will
develop plans for the available space in the eight-story Headhouse, which will
convert the Amtrak-owned Chicago landmark into a performing real estate asset.
America’s Railroad uses revenue from its real estate to offset the costs of the
passenger rail network, helping Amtrak cover nearly 80 percent of its operating
costs from non-Federal sources.

Jones Lang LaSalle was
chosen to take a totally fresh look at the highest and best use for the
Building, following a competitive process. A development plan for the Headhouse
is expected this fall.

"Jones Lang LaSalle is
bringing a fresh perspective to the table which, coupled with our experience
and intimate knowledge of the building, will enable us to find the best
market-driven solution for the project," said Joe Caprile, senior vice president,
Jones Lang LaSalle. "Union Station is an underutilized landmark and an asset to
Chicago in an emerging area. We believe in this project and think it is
important to make it a reality."