Prior to Amtrak, passenger trains used five different stations in downtown Chicago. Within a year after its creation, Amtrak achieved consolidation of all if its trains into Union Station.
Passenger Train Routes - descriptions of the routes used by pre-Amtrak trains in and out of Chicago.
Departures
Time Railroad Train No. Destination Train Name/Notes 8:00 am IC 1 AMTRAK New Orleans City of New Orleans 8:15 am IC 21 Springfield Governor's Special 8:40 am IC 53 Miami City of Miami (alternate days) 3:00 pm IC 7 Carbondale Illini 3:50 pm PC 304 AMTRAK Cincinnati James Whitcomb Riley 5:00 pm IC 5 New Orleans Panama Limited 7:00 pm IC 11 Sioux City Hawkeye 7:00 pm IC 9 AMTRAK Carbondale Shawnee 9:00 pm IC 3 Carbondale Mid-AmericanArrivals
Time Railroad Train No. Origin Train Name/Notes 7:15 am IC 12 Sioux City Hawkeye 9:30 am IC 6 New Orleans Panama Limited 11:30 am IC 10 AMTRAK Carbondale Shawnee 1:45 pm PC 303 AMTRAK Cincinnati James Whitcomb Riley 6:15 pm IC 52 Miami City of Miami (alternate days) 6:30 pm IC 8 Carbondale Illini 8:45 pm IC 22 Springfield Governor's Special 9:30 pm IC 4 Carbondale Mid-American 12:25 am IC 2 AMTRAK New Orleans City of New Orleans
Departures
Time Railroad Train No. Destination Train Name/Notes 9:00 am AT&SF 23 Los Angeles former Grand Canyon 9:00 am GTW 158 Toronto Maple Leaf 10:00 am AT&SF 1 Richmond CA San Francisco Chief 3:45 pm GTW 164 Detroit Mohawk 5:00 pm AT&SF 15 AMTRAK Houston Texas Chief 5:25 pm N&W 121 Decatur City of Decatur 5:30 pm L&N 3 Danville 6:30 pm AT&SF 17 AMTRAK Los Angeles Super Chief/El Capitan 9:00 pm GTW 156 Port Huron InternationalArrivals
Time Railroad Train No. Origin Train Name/Notes 8:30 am GTW 155 Port Huron International 9:15 am L&N 4 Danville 10:00 am AT&SF 16 AMTRAK Houston Texas Chief 10:05 am N&W 124 Decatur City of Decatur 1:30 pm AT&SF 18 AMTRAK Los Angeles Super Chief/El Capitan 6:22 pm GTW 159 Toronto Maple Leaf 8:00 pm AT&SF 2 Richmond CA San Francisco Chief 9:00 pm AT&SF 24 Los Angeles former Grand Canyon 9:45 pm GTW 165 Detroit Mohawk
Departures
Time Railroad Train No. Destination Train Name/Notes 5:35 pm CRI&P 5-9 Rock Island 6:15 pm CRI&P 11 Peoria PeorianArrivals
Time Railroad Train No. Origin Train Name/Notes 10:05 am CRI&P 12 Peoria Peorian 10:25 am CRI&P 6-8 Rock Island
Departures
Time Railroad Train No. Destination Train Name/Notes 8:00 am PC 90 AMTRAK Louisville (alternate days) 8:00 am BN 7 Minneapolis Zephyr 8:30 am PC 64 New York/GCT 8:55 am CMSP&P 27 AMTRAK Milwaukee 9:30 am CMSP&P 117 Madison Varsity (Fri./Sat./Sun. only) 10:25 am PC 66 Cincinnati 10:30 am CMSP&P 5 AMTRAK Minneapolis Morning Hiawatha 10:45 am PC 22 New York/Penn Manhattan Limited 11:10 am GM&O 1 AMTRAK St. Louis The Limited 11:59 am BN 11 Omaha tri-weekly to Ogden UT 12:30 pm BN 9 Seattle Empire Builder/North Coast Ltd. 1:05 pm PC 14 AMTRAK Buffalo (via Detroit) 2:15 pm PC 28 New York/GCT 4:00 pm PC 356 AMTRAK Detroit 4:05 pm PC 48 AMTRAK New York/Penn Broadway Limited 4:20 pm CMSP&P 23 AMTRAK Milwaukee 4:40 pm BN 9 Minneapolis Zephyr (Fri./Sun. only) 4:45 pm BN 1 AMTRAK Denver Denver Zephyr 5:10 pm GM&O 3 AMTRAK St. Louis Abraham Lincoln 6:00 pm CMSP&P 103 Los Angeles City of Los Angeles-Challenger 6:15 pm PC 50 New York/Penn Admiral 6:30 pm CMSP&P 11 Madison Sioux 7:25 pm CMSP&P 9 AMTRAK Milwaukee 9:00 pm PC 98 Buffalo 9:30 pm BN 19 Kansas City 10:05 pm PC 52 Buffalo (via Detroit) 10:15 pm PC 54 New York/Penn Pennsylvania Limited 11:25 pm GM&O 5 St. Louis Midnight SpecialArrivals
Time Railroad Train No. Origin Train Name/Notes 5:00 am CMSP&P 56 Minneapolis Fast Mail 5:15 am PC 51 Buffalo 5:30 am GM&O 6 St. Louis Midnight Special 5:30 am BN 20 Kansas City 5:45 am PC 351 Buffalo (via Detroit) 7:40 am PC 23 New York/Penn Manhattan Limited 8:55 am PC 49 AMTRAK New York/Penn Broadway Limited 9:20 am CMSP&P 24 AMTRAK Milwaukee 9:50 am BN 2 AMTRAK Denver Denver Zephyr 10:05 am CMSP&P 22 Madison Sioux 12:15 pm PC 27 New York/GCT 12:40 pm CMSP&P 104 Los Angeles City of Los Angeles-Challenger 1:00 pm CMSP&P 12 AMTRAK Milwaukee 1:20 pm PC 17 AMTRAK Buffalo (via Detroit) 2:18 pm GM&O 2 AMTRAK St. Louis Abraham Lincoln 3:00 pm PC 65 Cincinnati 3:15 pm BN 8 Seattle Empire Builder/North Coast Ltd. 3:25 pm PC 55 New York/Penn Pennsylvania Limited 3:40 pm CMSP&P 6 AMTRAK Minneapolis Morning Hiawatha 5:05 pm PC 355 AMTRAK Detroit 5:50 pm CMSP&P 46 AMTRAK Milwaukee 8:00 pm PC 63 New York/GCT 8:00 pm PC 93 AMTRAK Louisville (alternate days) 8:20 pm PC 53 Pittsburgh 8:40 pm BN 12 Omaha tri-weekly from Ogden UT 8:45 pm CMSP&P 118 Madison Varsity (Fri./Sat./Sun. only) 9:30 pm GM&O 4 AMTRAK St. Louis The Limited 11:15 pm BN 10 Minneapolis Zephyr
Departures
Time Railroad Train No. Destination Train Name/Notes 8:00 am C&NW 149 Milwaukee (except Sun.) 9:30 am C&NW 239 Menominee MI (Sun. only) 11:20 am C&NW 153 Green Bay 3:50 pm B&O 6 Washington DC Capitol Limited 4:12 pm C&NW 209 Green Bay 5:00 pm C&NW 1 Clinton IA (except Sun.) 6:05 pm C&O 8 Grand Rapids Pere Marquette 6:31 pm C&NW 121 Milwaukee 8:31 pm C&NW 11 Clinton IA (Sun. only)Arrivals
Time Railroad Train No. Origin Train Name/Notes 8:55 am C&NW 2 Clinton IA (except Sun.) 9:05 am B&O 5 Washington DC Capitol Limited 9:15 am C&NW 152 Milwaukee (except Sun.) 11:05 am C&O 9 Grand Rapids Pere Marquette (except Sun.) 11:35 am C&NW 206 Green Bay 4:45 pm C&O 13 Grand Rapids Pere Marquette (Sun. only) 5:55 pm C&NW 160 Milwaukee (except Sun.) 7:25 pm C&NW 12 Clinton IA (Sun. only) 7:30 pm C&NW 164 Milwaukee (Sun. only) 9:30 pm C&NW 216 Green Bay 9:55 pm C&NW 168 Menominee MI (Sun. only)
Penn Central trains 90 and 93 had operated on alternate days between Chicago and Louisville, connecting with the "South Wind", operating south to Miami. Between the South Wind and Illinois Central's "City of Miami", daily service had been available between Chicago and Miami. Amtrak introduced daily through service between Chicago and Miami via the South Wind, and revised the service to use the same route between Chicago and Indianapolis as used by the James Whitcomb Riley.
Penn Central trains 14 and 17 under Amtrak began operating only between Chicago and Detroit.
The Milwaukee Road's "Morning Hiawatha" was combined with Burlington Northern's "Empire Builder" west of Minneapolis.
The Rock Island Railroad did not join Amtrak, and continued to operate its trains serving La Salle Street Station.