Union Station is buzzing with holiday anticipation on the biggest travel day of the year leading up to Thanksgiving

Kuryetta Young was ready to fill her plate with cranberry sauce and cornbread and sing karaoke with her family.

But first she had to sit on an Amtrak train for twelve hours. Traveling from Chicago to Fort Worth, Texas, Young joined thousands of other travelers passing through Union Station on Wednesday on the busiest travel day of the year.

“I just want to have a smooth and safe ride,” she said.

A total of 11,000 passengers passed through Union Station on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Martin Sandoval, Amtrak’s government and community affairs manager for the Midwest. The number of travelers is higher than in recent years and even exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2019, he said. November and December have historically been the busiest months due to holiday travel.

“It’s really great to see,” he said. “You can see that all walks of life come to the station. You can literally see it on their faces. There’s something magical about it.”

Young was looking forward to gathering around the table, eating Thanksgiving classics and dancing to ’70s music with her family, as she does every year.

“We’re just going to eat, cook and have a good time,” she said. “We always do the same thing: get together, do karaoke and dance.”

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun Times

Travelers entered the grandiose station and looked up at the 50-foot-tall Christmas tree in the center of the Great Hall, aglow with lights and shimmering ornaments, honoring every line that has operated throughout the station’s 99-year history.

Passengers checked boards for train timings while conductors and staff shouted instructions and reminders. Most trains were running on time and Amtrak was working more closely with the railroad to ensure safe and efficient trips, Sandoval said.

However, to avoid problems, he advised travelers not to delay – booking tickets and arriving at the station early are key to a smooth journey, he said. More people are choosing to travel by train to avoid the headaches of airports and the stress of driving, he said.

“If the train could run as long as a car, people would choose a train,” he said. “The train is here, ready to leave, why not?”

Sandoval said post-holiday travel will be just as hectic, if not more hectic.

The clatter of luggage wheels on concrete echoed on the underground platform as passengers boarded the afternoon train to Milwaukee. An announcement warned passengers that the train was sold out and asked them not to take up more space than their assigned seat.

Lauren Terrell waited near the Christmas tree in the Great Hall for her train to St. Louis. Originally from Alabama, Terrell met her family at her grandmother’s house in O’Fallon State, near St. Louis. So far her trip has been smooth, but she’s keeping her fingers crossed for a quick ride and a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.

“I’m glad that I’m still in the age group where I don’t have to bring anything with me. I can just eat what everyone else brings,” said Terrell, 24. “I’m a fan of mashed potatoes.”

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun Times

Not everyone at Union Station was headed to a cozy Thanksgiving feast. Kyle Slowka was just in transit from Ontario to Green Bay, Wisconsin, on a marathon day to watch the Packers take on the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving night, a birthday present from his girlfriend. As a Canadian, he thought his trip would be like any other day.

“It wasn’t until a few weeks later that we realized we were going to be traveling on Thanksgiving,” he said as he stood in line to board the Milwaukee train. “So far, it’s good. Lots of people, but we can handle it.”