Amtrak, US’s intercity passenger rail service and its high-speed rail operator, has launched the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of the Chicago Union station P3 project.

As we reported in September, Amtrak had shortlisted four teams for the P3 project. These bidders were namely: 

• Chicago Union Station Partners: Macquarie, Golub and Walsh with Gensler as architect
• JLL Consortium: Jones Lang LaSalle, John Buck Company, LaSalle Investment Management with Pelli Clarke Pelli,Arup and Studio Gang as architects
• Riverside: Riverside Investment & Development
• Sterling Bay: Sterling Bay with SOM as architects.

The selected bidder will be responsible for all aspects of project delivery including an implementable Master Development Plan, design, construction, financing the potential operation and maintenance of non-rail assets, as well as identification of expansion opportunities and commercial development in the surrounding West Loop neighborhood. The plan must also harmonize with growing passenger volumes at CUS.

The Amtrak-owned area within the RFQ is 14.07 acres, which includes 613,075 square feet of total land area and 1,328,804 total square feet of building area, in addition to 1,679 parking spaces and approximately 3,000,000 total buildable square feet of excess air-rights. The CUS complex is primarily comprised of the Concourse, Mezzanine, Headhouse, Amtrak Parking Garage, and the North and South Train Sheds.