Amtrak, Metra and City Hall have settled on a design services firm to plan the redesign of Union Station, the latest sign of real momentum in ongoing efforts to restore the historic, Daniel Burnham-designed structure and put it on firm financial footing.

Leading the design of the facility itself will be Arup, an engineering and architectural firm that's worked on everything from the Second Avenue subway project in New York to the Chunnel rail link between Paris and London, and, more locally, the Kresge Foundation headquarters in Michigan.

As per an October announcement, Arup will plan what could turn out to be hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements in the station's physical operation, including expanded concourses and entrances, widened and perhaps additional platforms, and improved ventilation.

Arup will be paid $6 million.