Battle of Backbone Mountain

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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 were in the downtown area 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[bnsf 1]) – 1995–present
Union Pacific Railroad (Metra branded[up 1]) – 1995–present
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District – 1990–present
Metra – 1984–present 1987–present 1984–present
Norfolk Southern Railway[ns 1] 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 2] 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.

Notes

About the BNSF Line

  1. ^ As Metra's BNSF Line
  2. ^ Their commuter rail operations are now Metra's BNSF Line

About the Union Pacific-operated Metra lines

  1. ^ As Metra's Union Pacific North Line, Union Pacific Northwest, and Union Pacific West lines.

About the SouthWest Service

  1. ^ This commuter service is now Metra's SouthWest Service

References

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_terminals_of_Chicago