Now that plans for the permanent American Place Casino are finalized, Waukegan officials should look to the possibility of bringing an Amtrak train station to the Fountain Square entertainment complex.
Long-distance passenger trains fly by the area daily, and stopping would be an extra boon for the county seat.
How this happens is up to city planners with help from state and county partners, but a case can be made for a passenger depot with plenty of parking on the west side of the Fountain Square entertainment zone. Make no small plans, as Chicago architect Daniel Burnham was fond of saying.
Adding to luring an Amtrak facility is the announcement last month that casino owner Full House Resorts will keep the casino’s current temporary home once the 200,000-square-foot permanent facility opens in summer 2028. Waukegan officials have agreed with that plan.
The 70,000-square-foot temporary casino could be turned into an exhibition hall, concert venue, and more, casino managers have offered. Possibilities are endless for events at the temporary site.
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An Amtrak station, near the CP rail tracks beyond land behind the Lakehurst Center, Planet Fitness, Townplace Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, and a storage facility, would only enhance the Fountain Square properties. It would increase Waukegan’s regional visibility.
Amtrak tells communities along its passenger routes that trains are one of the best investments communities can make to expand tourism and business investment, along with becoming a transportation hub. Waukegan has always had excellent train service from the Union Pacific North Line and the defunct North Shore Electric Line.
Passenger trains stopping at Fountain Square could bring more folks, especially Wisconsin gamblers, to the permanent casino, which eventually will have 1,250 slot machines and 65 table games. The casino complex, including a boutique hotel, is a $500 million investment for the Las Vegas-based gaming company.
The Temporary has been on a roll of late, with its revenue virtually even with Bally’s interim casino in downtown Chicago. The Temporary had record results in the second quarter, according to this month’s earnings filing by Full House.
The casino posted what the company called all-time property records in the quarter, with revenue up 13.4% from the second quarter of 2025. Chief Executive Daniel Lee said the company expects continued growth from the temporary facility and “even greater contributions” from the permanent American Place Casino.
Once upon a time, Gurnee officials hankered for a passenger station close to Viking Park, which abuts the Canadian Pacific line the freight hauler shares with Amtrak trains. Lack of enough parking and traffic concerns doomed the plan, although it works for the annual visit of the CP Holiday Train.
Currently, Amtrak trains stop at the Metra station in Glenview and at Sturtevant, Wisconsin, on their way back and forth north along the CP corridor. The Hiawatha travels from Chicago to Milwaukee; the Borealis from Chicago to St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle.
Amtrak ridership continues to grow, according to a National Public Radio account earlier this month. Ridership and revenue are at an all-time high for the national passenger carrier.
Amtrak reported ridership for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2025 was 34.5 million customer trips, up 5.1% over the 2024 budget year. Fuel costs for airlines and autos, due to the Iran conflict, are spurring much of that growth. Total Amtrak operating revenue has grown 9.1% to $3.9 billion.
Glenview officials worked to get a new train station in the 1990s to replace a 1950s-era depot. The facility on the village’s west side, which cost $3 million back then, opened in spring 1995 after Metra commissioned Legat Architects of Waukegan to design the station.
When planning began for the new Glenview station, Naval Air Station Glenview was still operational, which added to the mass transit needs of the village. The base closed the year the new station opened and has been turned into The Glen, which also has a Metra station.
A third rail stop in Waukegan along the Amtrak line makes sense. Since Illinois officials have taken road money and turned it over to the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority, which starts operations Sept. 1, there should be plenty of state funding to investigate the need for a new train station.
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There appears to be federal funding available, too. Amtrak announced last week that $600 million in Federal Railroad Administration grants are being dispersed to rail projects in Chicago. Overall, there is $5.3 billion in federal railroad funding.
Just a bit of that money is needed to ante up for a Waukegan Amtrak station. Continue to make no small plans.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. [email protected]. X @sellenews