While Amtrak owns and manages Chicago Union Station, Metra is responsible for implementing a plan to attempt to limit overcrowding once a problem occurs.
If a service disruption impacts lines on the South Concourse, Metra, BNSF Railway and Amtrak will implement this plan, which aims to keep the South Concourse waiting area clear so passengers can freely move to and from the platforms.
This will be accomplished primarily by closing off the escalators/stairs that feed the concourse from the food court level on the Jackson Boulevard side. Passengers who use the entrance at Jackson and the Chicago River will have to walk north, use the escalators/stairs that feed the North Concourse near Adams Street and double back south past the Metra ticket area.
BNSF passengers will be lined up along the wide corridor between the Metra ticket area and the South Concourse, and, if it is open, into the Great Hall. That corridor will serve as the main loading/staging area for BNSF trains until service returns to normal.
Heritage Corridor and SouthWest Service customers will be directed to the South Concourse via the hallway that connects the South and North Concourses to the Amtrak ticket area.
Metra will provide updates with public address system announcements supplemented by staff members with bullhorns. Please obey instructions from Metra, BNSF, Amtrak and police personnel.
Metra, BNSF and Amtrak thank you for your cooperation and understanding.