[ardecila]

Eh. Maybe. I remain unconvinced that rail travel through Chicago offers an experience more pleasant than air travel, which is, after all, the target market. Union Station is cramped, dirty, and rather unpleasant. The city remains committed to an impressive but ultimately unrealistic plan to build a 5-level transportation tunnel that will fix all the issues... right.

This is not to mention, by the way, the disgusting amount to which advertising has created a visual cacophony in the already-confusing underground spaces of Union Station. Currently, every column, ceiling, and available wall is plastered with ads for Leinenkugel.

Airport builders understand the need for spacious and grand facilities that provide plenty of room for large numbers of people to walk from gates to exits and vice versa, and large amounts of seating to accommodate waiting passengers. From what I've seen of the Amtrak system, very few stations meet this mark. St. Louis' new station is one that does. Chicago's, New Orleans', and Atlanta's do not.