The New Chicago Metropolitan Lounge

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Will the new lounge have direct platform access? When you're in coach and waiting in the lounge, it's always nice to get a head start in front of other coach passengers.
 
It took several passes through CUS, but I finally figured out that there are now 4 waiting areas with separate boarding routines: Legacy Lounge (AKA Priority for $20); Metro Lounge for sleeping car and BC passengers; the old coach waiting room for "assisted" boarding, which includes BC, handicapped, elderly, and children; and the Great Hall for "general" boarding.

I can't picture them enforcing a priority scheme, e.g., Legacy, Metro Lounge, Assisted, and General, or some variation. That is to say I can't see them guaranteeing that Metro Lounge won't start before all Legacy have boarded, etc. That would take too much coordination.
 
So the plan is to move the Metro Lounge into a corner of the headhouse, off the Great Hall, sometime next year. I'm not sure quite how they'll rearrange the coach boarding at that point, but the old coach waiting room will expand into the location of the former Metropolitan Lounge. The new Metro Lounge will have a back door to the taxiway, which could be used for direct platform access, but I don't know if it will be used for that.

The Legacy Lounge will never have direct platform access; it's not in the right place.
 
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Look at the photo of that old sign, telling you which car numbers to board for each destination. Think maybe Amtrak could do that instead of making everyone ask the conductor? *Sigh*

I'm going to be travelling in May. Unfortunately "Summer" sounds like they won't have the new Metro Lounge open by then. :-(

Anyway, good news. For personal reasons -- I regularly travel on the Lake Shore Limited with a mobility-impaired girlfriend -- I hope that the relocation of the Metro Lounge will be followed immediately by the preliminary work for the repurposing of the steam tunnel and mail platforms. The entrance for that is planned to go right in the middle of the desk and bathrooms of the current Metropolitan Lounge. So it would make sense to build that entrance before opening up the former Metro Lounge space to coach passengers, just to avoid refinishing the area twice, even if it then has to be mothballed until additional work is completed.
 
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D.P. Roberts said:
Wow, I guess if they're putting signs up in the station, they must be serious about Summer 2016. I wonder if that means June, August, or a year from next December...
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I'm in the lounge, waiting to board the SWC and overheard the lounge attendant tell someone that the target date for the opening of the new lounge is June 1. Of course, everyone knows it's likely not going to happen then, but that's the information they are giving out fwiw.
 
neroden said:
Look at the photo of that old sign, telling you which car numbers to board for each destination. Think maybe Amtrak could do that instead of making everyone ask the conductor? *Sigh*

I'm going to be travelling in May. Unfortunately "Summer" sounds like they won't have the new Metro Lounge open by then. :-(

Anyway, good news. For personal reasons -- I regularly travel on the Lake Shore Limited with a mobility-impaired girlfriend -- I hope that the relocation of the Metro Lounge will be followed immediately by the preliminary work for the repurposing of the steam tunnel and mail platforms. The entrance for that is planned to go right in the middle of the desk and bathrooms of the current Metropolitan Lounge. So it would make sense to build that entrance before opening up the former Metro Lounge space to coach passengers, just to avoid refinishing the area twice, even if it then has to be mothballed until additional work is completed.
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That isn't what that CZ sign is saying. Look at it as two columns, one column showing the points served, the other is showing the consist. On the CZ, you would have had an actual reseved seat. The consist is there so people would have an idea of where their assigned car was in the train. The buffet-lounge was not the car to board it you were getting off at Denver.
 
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Even more fascinating. I wonder why they thought it was worth explaining the consist to people?... oh, tickets had assigned cars on them, of course.

Amtrak's practices still seem like... a regression from this.
 
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I feel ripped off - I missed those signs by a day it would look like. Nice catch. I see someone must have taken the recent open architecture tour or paid for Legacy Club access. Signs finally confirm information I've been sharing for ages and just this past Sunday when I was in Chicago Union Station Metropolitan Lounge. Saw display with video talking about history of station and refurbishment of staircase - saw multiple signs where clock used to be in Great Hall - discussing kiosk or something like that coming soon.

Architecture tour provided access to old Harvey House and room next to it that will be refurbished and used for private events when finished. You could see years of decay and fire damage. Murals and much more that showed glory of years past.

Hadn't had time to get settled and post any of my content on my site. I'll try to get to it this week maybe.

From look of pillars in original post - they look very similar to others in Chicago Union Station - I agree with others that photo most likely shows Legacy Club. I'll take a look at my recent video to confirm.

I need sleep and slightly confused now. The posted signage was not present on Sunday October 25 2015. I walked through that area several times that day. It also was not there on previous Sunday ( Oct 18th ) when I was in station. Not sure how I saw all other stuff I mentioned above and missed lounge announcement signs.

My reply to snide remarks = much work has been done recently to Union Station in a timely fashion. Master Plan was shown publicly in 2011 - some of that work is being completed now. I do not have any way to confirm what I'm about to say - but if a conversation I overheard was what I think it was about - work on new Metropolitan Lounge started awhile back. Overheard a conversation with head of lounge with I assume a higher up about how woodwork was progressing.

"it's dumpy"

Care to expand on that? Yes the much talked about chairs on Facebook have crept a bit more into Metropolitan Lounge - yes furniture is showing age - yes compared to Legacy Club - some might say Met looks dumpy. But I think that is taking things to an extreme. Now if you would like to talk about how some of you treat the lounge, onboard toilets and showers - many of you leave things very dumpy.
 
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For all it is worth, I use the lounge in Chicago once or twice a year. Not a great place, not a terrible place. If the weather is nice and the arriving train was not too late, I try to drop my bags and get outside. Some days and times it can get pretty crowded. But no business is going to build a facility too much larger than it needs to be just so it seems uncrowded. As a passenger I would welcome that, as a manager I would cringe. Airline load factor used to average in the 50-60 % range, now 80-85 % is common. There are lightly flown flights, but they are rare, and usually involve positioning a plane, maintaining presence in a market, connections to higher profit routes, or political purposes. We will get a larger somewhat more comfortable lounge, but it is doubtful that it will be too empty at peak periods.
 
iggy said:
Now if you would like to talk about how some of you treat the lounge, onboard toilets and showers - many of you leave things very dumpy.
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Could have phrased that better, in my opinion - I'd speculate that "we" are probably more attentive and less likely to make messes than the average passenger.
 
As I posted recently, when I passed through CUS in July, I went into the Legacy Club and was asked to show my ticket. When I did, I was politely turned away and referred to the Metropolitan Lounge. I was told that as an Amtrak sleeper passenger, I would have to use the ML and not Legacy.
 
Chatter163 said:
As I posted recently, when I passed through CUS in July, I went into the Legacy Club and was asked to show my ticket. When I did, I was politely turned away and referred to the Metropolitan Lounge. I was told that as an Amtrak sleeper passenger, I would have to use the ML and not Legacy.
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Unless there are more reports of this, I have to assume this was a one-time mix up of sorts.
 
iggy said:
My reply to snide remarks = much work has been done recently to Union Station in a timely fashion. Master Plan was shown publicly in 2011 - some of that work is being completed now. I do not have any way to confirm what I'm about to say - but if a conversation I overheard was what I think it was about - work on new Metropolitan Lounge started awhile back. Overheard a conversation with head of lounge with I assume a higher up about how woodwork was progressing.
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I'm going to be a bit snide about the timeline -- Amtrak did initially say the Metro Lounge would move in 2013 -- but I always say "Better late than never!"
 
PVD said:
For all it is worth, I use the lounge in Chicago once or twice a year. Not a great place, not a terrible place. If the weather is nice and the arriving train was not too late, I try to drop my bags and get outside. Some days and times it can get pretty crowded. But no business is going to build a facility too much larger than it needs to be just so it seems uncrowded. As a passenger I would welcome that, as a manager I would cringe. Airline load factor used to average in the 50-60 % range, now 80-85 % is common. There are lightly flown flights, but they are rare, and usually involve positioning a plane, maintaining presence in a market, connections to higher profit routes, or political purposes. We will get a larger somewhat more comfortable lounge, but it is doubtful that it will be too empty at peak periods.
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I understand your point.

I was thinking more along the lines of, maybe the increased size also reflects a change or extension of scope. So maybe more people will have access to the lounge (opening speculation as to what the new criterium will be) or something like that. In other words, it won't be a one on one replacement but actually something different.

In some airports for example you have access to the business lounge even if you have an economy class ticket, provided you have the loyalty status or something.
 
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Chicago has a major peak time starting about 10AM because there are four west trains departing within 90 minutes. This is about 8 revenue sleepers plus any rooms sold in the Transition Sleepers. Now it is rare that ever room in every car is sold for boarding in Chicago, but the potential is over 170 rooms. This is why during the summer the line into the current Met Lounge winds out of the lounge during this time. This doesn't include the Business Class customers who are also allowed in the Lounge. Even with the space doubled, it would be crowed during peak times, but manageable. Flying during peak times, I have experienced occasions when the Crown Room or the United Club were so full the staff started counting to make sure they did not exceed legal overcrowding limit.
 
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