List of historical passenger rail services in Chicago explained

During the heyday of rail transportation in the first half of the 20th century, Chicago, Illinois, reigned as the undisputed railroad center of the United States and was served by six intercity train terminals at its peak. With the decline of passenger rail in the United States, service was consolidated at Union Station with inter-city Amtrak trains. Commuter railroad Metra continues passenger service at LaSalle Street Station, Millennium Station, and Ogilvie Transportation Center, as well as Union Station. Three Metra services are operated by the Union Pacific Railroad, while another is operated by the BNSF Railway. The South Shore Line, an independent commuter/interurban line operates out of Millennium Station. Most of the terminals that were in the downtown area were called the "Chicago Loop". Ogilvie Station and Union Station were west of the Chicago River and the Loop; Wells Station was north of the river and the Loop.

The table below shows all railroads that have served downtown Chicago and what terminal they used.

Services partially replaced by or wholly discontinued with Amtrak or Metra are marked in Bold.

Railroads	Successor railroad	Union (PRR)	C&NW / Ogilvie (C&NW)	Randolph / Millennium (IC)	LaSalle Street (CRI&P)	Central (IC)	Dearborn (C&WI)	Grand Central (WC/C&NP)	Great Central (IC)	Other stations	Wells Street (C&NW)	Canal Street
BNSF Railway (Metra branded)	–	1995–present
Union Pacific Railroad (Metra branded)	–		1995–present
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District	–			1990–present
Metra	–	1984–present		1987–present	1984–present
Norfolk Southern Railway	Metra	1982–1993
Northeast Illinois Railroad Corporation	Metra	1982–1984			1981–1984
Conrail	Amtrak	1976–1979
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad	Metra	1972–1987		1972–1987
Amtrak	–	1971–present				1971–1972
Burlington Northern Railroad	BNSF	1970–1995
Louisville and Nashville Railroad	–						1969–1971
Penn Central Transportation Company	Amtrak, Conrail	1968–1976			1968	1968–1971
Norfolk and Western Railway	NIRC	1976–1982			1964–1965		1964–1976
Erie Lackawanna Railway	–						1960–1970
Monon Railroad	–						1956–1971
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad	Amtrak, Metra	1947–1971
Alton Railroad	GM&O	1931–1947
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad	Amtrak, NIRC	1928–1982
Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad	NICTD			1925–1990		1925–1972
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway	–		1969–1971			1925–1930s	1922–1925	1947–1969
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad	PRR	1917–1921
New York Central Railroad	PC				1914–1968	1930–1968
Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad	–						1910–1963
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway of Indiana	C&O					1910	1910–1922
Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad	–							1910–c. 1915
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad	Metra					1909–1912, 1963–1965		1912–1963
Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend Railway	CSS&SB			1909–1925		1909–1925
Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad	C&O of Indiana					1907–1910
Chicago, Indiana and Southern Railroad	NYC				1906–1914
Pere Marquette Railway	C&O							1904–1947
Indiana Harbor Railroad	CI&S				1904–1906
Grand Trunk Western Railroad	–						1897–1971
Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad	B&OCT							1897–1910
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway	Monon						1897–1956
Chicago Great Western Railway	–							1892–1893, 1894–1955		1893–1894
Chicago, St. Paul and Kansas City Railroad	CGW							1892
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	Amtrak						1890–1971
Erie Railroad	EL						1890–1960
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway	Pennsylvania Company	1890–1917
Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad	CTT							1890–1897
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway	NYC					1893–1930			1889–1893
Chicago and Great Western Railroad	C&NP							1889–1890
Chicago, Santa Fe and California Railway	AT&SF						1888–1890
Wabash Railroad	N&W						1887–1964
Wisconsin Central Railway	MStP&SSM					1900–1909		1887–1900
Louisville, New Albany, and Chicago Railway	CI&L						1885–1897
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad	–		1969–1971					1892–1969		1883–1892
Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh Railroad	PCC&StL	1883–1890
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad	N&W				1883–1892, 1898–1964					1882–1883, 1892–1898
Chicago and Grand Trunk Railway	GTW						1885–1897			1880–1885
Chicago and Atlantic Railway	C&E						1885–1890			1880–1885
Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway	CCC&StL								1880–1889
Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway	Wabash						1885–1887			1880–1885
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad	L&N				1904–1913		1885–1904, 1913–1969			1877–1885
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway	CMStP&P	1874–1928
Cincinnati, Lafayette and Chicago Railroad	CIStL&C								1872–1880
Chicago and Pacific Railroad	WStL&P									1872–1879
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway	CM&StP	1872–1874
Pennsylvania Company	PRR	1871–1918
Pennsylvania Railroad	PC	1869–1871, 1918–1968
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway	NYC				1869–1914
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway	CStL&P	1882–1883								1869–1882
Columbus, Chicago and Indiana Central Railway	PC&St.L									1868–1869
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad	C&NW				1866–1980
Chicago and Great Eastern Railway	CC&IC									1866–1868
Chicago and Rock Island Railroad	CRI&P				1866
Chicago and Alton Railroad	Alton	1863–1931								1862–1863
Chicago and North Western Railway	NIRC, UP		1911–1995		1980–1981					1871–187X	187X–1911	1859–1890
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway	PRR	1861–1869								1858–1861
St. Louis, Alton and Chicago Railroad	Chicago & Alton									1857–1862
Joliet and Chicago Railroad / Chicago and Mississippi Railroad	St.LA&C									1856–1857
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	BN	1881–1970							1856–1881	1855–1856
Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad	LS&MS				1866–1869					1855–1866
Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad	C&NW											1855–1859
Northern Indiana Railroad	MS&NI									1855
Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad	CSt.P&FdL											1854–1855
Chicago and Milwaukee Railway	C&NW											1853–1869
Illinois Central Railroad	Amtrak, ICG			1893–1972		1893–1971			1856–1893	1852–1856
Michigan Central Railroad	NYC					1893–1930			1856–1893	1852–1856
Chicago and Aurora Railroad	CB&Q									1852–1855
Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad	Northern Indiana									1852–1855
Aurora Branch Railroad	Chicago & Aurora									1850s–1852		1849–1850s
Galena and Chicago Union Railroad	C&NW								1856–1857		1852–1869	1848–1852

NOTE: From 1883 to 1892, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had a depot between Madison and Monroe Streets, trackage rights via the Illinois Central Railroad.

The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad ("Nickel Plate Road") used the Illinois Central Railroad local station at 22nd Street in 1882, and the B&O depot in 1883.

Future tenants of Dearborn Station used the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad depot at 12th and State between 1880 and 1885.

The Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway used its own depot before gaining access to 12th and State depot in 1882.

The Chicago, Terre Haute and Southeastern Railway, later part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road"), never had passenger service in the Chicago area.

The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad and the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad used tracks of the Chicago "L", specifically the Loop Elevated and Wells Street Terminal.

The Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway had a terminal at Archer Avenue and Cicero Avenue.

In the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire, a C&NW freight depot at State and Water Streets was used as a temporary passenger depot since Wells Street Station had burned.

"Canal Street" refers to two depots: the C&NW depot (former Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad) and the original Galena and Chicago Union Railroad depot (later used by the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway). Both burned in 1871, only the C&NW depot was rebuilt.