Chicago Tribune: "Why Union Station doesn't work"

[rrdude]

I don't understand why everyone seems to hate CUS so much. I've always thought that Amtrak does a good job there given the limited space they have to work with. It pales in comparison to Washington or Philly but it's infinitely better than NYP.

My problem with CUS is the lack of corridor/waiting space. It is very difficult to move around and when you get to where you need to be, finding a place to wait is difficult, even in the Metropolitan Lounge if you arrive later.

AND, when you get to where you need to be, the abhorrent (****-like) attitude of the gate workers (not the Metropolitan Lounge workers though) should be a a true embarrassment to Amtrak. You don't see that nearly as much (if at all) in WAS, PHL or NYP.

Edit: the **** represents the German government of WWII.

So we can't even TYPE the word "N-A-Z-I" anymore? Who is that POSSIBLY gonna offend? The N-A-Z-I-'s?

 

[alanh]

The idea is probably that references to the German leaders of the 1930s-1945 are not historical perspectives, but instead are equating a regime that deliberately murdered millions of people to an annoying ticket agent and thus not generally useful.

 

[lepearso]

I like Chicago Union Station. Being a rail fan my heart pounds when I see hundreds of people riding the trains in and out of town. However, I see plenty of issues that need to be addressed.

The most important one for me is the Great Hall. I agree with the writer that Amtrak needs to make better use of this enormous space. The last time I was there I gave this some thought. Amtrak should use the Great Hall as the waiting area for long-distance trains, like the Southwest Chief, and use the concourse waiting rooms for corridor trains, like the Lincoln Service. Here's my reasoning:

-Long distance passengers aren't as rushed, so they could enjoy a more open and more relaxing environment while waiting for the train.

-Long distance passengers aren't as rushed, so they tend to get in the way of commuters in the crowded concourse. Having them in the Great Room until it's train time reduces stress on everybody, especially commuters.

-Long distance passengers aren't as rushed, so they could spend more time and more money in the station. Having them wait in the Great Room opens the door for more retail opportunities in that general area. (The last time I was there I noticed that the magazine/convenience store had closed.)

I hear that Amtrak makes money by renting the Great Hall out for special events, which is why it's treated as an afterthought for passengers. There may be some truth to that.

 

[D T Nelson]

To the people saying that greater use should be made of the Great Hall, a commenter on the Chicago Tribune article says Amtrak moved all their operations out of the Great Hall and into the underground concourse so they could declare the Great Hall surplus property and sell it, but that sale was blocked by preservationists. Maybe one of our Chicago members knows more about that.

Also, yes, the main use of the Great Hall seems to be as a rental event space. If permanent fixtures were moved into the Hall, they would not have room to hold the banquets and what-not, cutting into the revenue-producing capability of the space.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

There is nothing in NYP. Get outside and dine with the street vendors.

There are many food providers in NYP, some of them are quite good, either from a food perspective (that raw bar whose name I forget) and others from a price perspective (Papaya, for instance.)

 

[nferr]

There's a million places to eat in NYP. Well maybe not a million but you get the idea.

 

[lthanlon]

Last time I was in the Great Hall, the U.S. flag was gone. There was, however, a huge ad display for Budweiser beer.

 

[ThayerATM]

Last time I was in the Great Hall, the U.S. flag was gone. There was, however, a huge ad display for Budweiser beer.

That's some comfort. At least Budweiser (our Budweiser) is American brewed. When the Budweiser display is replaced by the Belgian flag, or the Brazilian flag, we're in trouble.

 

[Guest]

That's some comfort. At least Budweiser (our Budweiser) is American brewed. When the Budweiser display is replaced by the Belgian flag, or the Brazilian flag, we're in trouble.

If it was Belgian then there is a chance it might actually be beer that's worth drinking.