Please sign to ask USDOT Sec. Buttigieg to fund the Chicago Hub Improvement Program 

Click here to read more about this program

Dear Secretary Buttigieg,

Please support Amtrak’s application under the FY22-23 Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program (FSP) to fund upgrades at Chicago Union Station and to create better routes to and from central Chicago.

Known together as the Chicago Hub Improvement Program, these projects have local, regional, and national significance. Amtrak’s proposal covers essential next steps and sets the stage for:

• critical safety improvements at Union Station;
• new crosstown Metra service linking McCormick Place, Hyde Park, and other communities to O’Hare;
• faster and more reliable trains, with more daily departures on several Amtrak routes;
• more equitable access to transit, with the employment, educational, and cultural opportunities that this opens;
• cleaner, more efficient transportation options to help the United States reach climate goals.

These improvements will benefit residents and visitors in the Midwest, as well as communities across the country. Chicago Union Station offers direct service to 375 cities and towns in more than 36 states. In 2019, more than 15 million passengers boarded Amtrak or Metra trains at the station, making it busier than Midway Airport.

All of this shows the nationwide importance of Amtrak’s Chicago Chicago Hub Improvement proposal. We need to make sure that Chicago infrastructure better serves our country’s needs today, as well as providing foundations for further growth in ridership, and faster, more frequent service. Please grant the requests for Chicago Hub Improvement funding in Amtrak’s FSP applications.

Thank you in advance for supporting this initiative.