Get on board CTA for downtown fireworks, sporting events, concerts and Lollapalooza at Grant Park, but plan ahead for construction work delays on the Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line
CTA is the hottest ticket in town to get to your favorite artists at the grandest summer music festival in Chicago. Save money for merchandise and refreshments by purchasing an unlimited rides pass, either the 1-Day ($5) – far more economical and convenient than paying for gas and parking - or the 3-Day ($15) pass – a real budget saver.
Service for Upcoming Events
Lollapalooza
Grant Park – Thu. 8/3 - Sun. 8/6, starting at noon.
- Rail: All rail lines downtown will get you access to the festival.
- Loop Elevated (Brown, Green, Orange, and Pink Lines): Exit at either Washington/Wabash or Adams/Wabash
- Red and Blue Lines: Exit at Jackson and walk a couple blocks east
- Yellow Line service will be extended until midnight each night.
- Bus: Various bus routes will connect Metra riders arriving at Chicago Union Station or Ogilvie Transportation Center with Grant Park.
- From Union Station, take the #126 Jackson
- From Ogilvie Transportation Center, take the #J14 Jeffery Jump
Multiple bus routes in the area will be rerouted. Check out CTA’s dedicated Lollapalooza webpage for more information: https://www.transitchicago.com/lollapalooza/
United Center
Get to and from the following concert via the #20 Madison and #50 Damen bus routes. Customers can also take the #19 United Center Express route post event:
- Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind, & Fire – Sat. 8/5 at 7:30 p.m.
Navy Pier Fireworks
Service on the #29 State, #66 Chicago and #124 Navy Pier routes.
- Sat. 8/5 at 10 p.m.
- Wed. 8/9 at 9 p.m. - #65 Grand route also available for this evening’s event.
Wrigley Field
- Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs – Thu. 8/3 at 7:05 p.m.
- Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs – Fri. 8/4, Sat. 8/5 and Sun. 8/6 at 1:20 p.m.
- Bruce Springsteen – Wed. 8/9 and Fri. 8/11 at 7:30 p.m.
Service:
- Red Line: The Addison station is located just a half block east of Wrigley Field.
- Purple Line: During weeknight games, Loop-bound Purple Line Express trains will stop at Sheridan, where riders can either walk three blocks south on Sheridan/Sheffield to the ballpark or transfer to a 95th/Dan Ryan-bound Red Line train and exit at Addison.
- Yellow Line: Take the Yellow Line and transfer at Howard to the Red Line; continue to Addison station. To accommodate fans returning home, the Yellow Line will run for an hour later from Howard – until midnight – for all night games at Wrigley Field.
- #152 Addison: The #152 route will provide additional service on Cubs game days, with more frequent service two hours before and one hour after all games.
- #80 Irving Park: The #80 route will provide additional service before the games, timed to meet the inbound UP-NW Metra trains at Irving Park.
- Adjacent bus routes: Several CTA bus routes serve the area, including:
- #8 Halsted
- #22 Clark
- #36 Broadway
- #151 Sheridan
Guaranteed Rate Field
- New York Yankees vs. White Sox – Mon. 8/7, Tue. 8/8 and Wed. 8/9 at 7:10 p.m.
Service:
- Red Line: Guaranteed Rate Field is just one block west of the Sox-35th station.
- Green Line: The 35th-Bronzeville-IIT station is just three blocks east of the ballpark.
- CTA’s Park & Ride lots are also a good choice to access CTA train service. For more information, visit transitchicago.com/parking.
- Adjacent bus routes: Several CTA bus routes serve the ballpark area, including:
- #1 Bronzeville/Union Station (during Monday – Friday rush periods only)
- #4 Cottage Grove
- #24 Wentworth
- #29 State
- #31 31st (which runs Monday – Friday to 7 p.m.)
- #35 35th (which connects with Orange and Green lines)
- #39 Pershing (which connects with Orange and Green lines)
- #44 Wallace/Racine
Service to the Lakefront
Throughout the summer, the following bus routes will operate directly to the lakefront and its beaches: #35 31st/35th, #63 63rd *, #72 North and #78 Montrose
*Note: Due to CDOT construction at the beach parking lot, the CTA service stop for customers heading to the 63rd Street Beach will be at a crosswalk on the south side of Hayes Drive and Lakeshore Drive.
Plan for Extra Travel Time on the Forest Park Branch Blue Line
- Construction for Phase I of the Forest Park Branch Rebuild has begun.
- During the first part of Phase I work, which continues through late-August, Blue Line service will be limited to two sections, operating between O’Hare and LaSalle, and between Forest Park and Illinois Medical District (IMD).
- Bus shuttles will operate in both directions between Jackson/Dearborn and IMD, stopping near LaSalle, Clinton, UIC-Halsted, and Racine.
- The bus shuttle will operate every 3.5-15 minutes on weekdays and 7.5-15 minutes on weekends. Click here for more details
- Service changes are due to reconstruction of three miles of tracks between LaSalle and IMD.
NOTE: Although the Blue Line will serve the LaSalle station, customers should transfer to/from the shuttle at Jackson/Dearborn for the closest and most accessible connection to IMD.
During the peak periods below, there will be local and express service. At all other times, there will be local service only:
- AM PEAK: The express service will operate NB, departing IMD between 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. The bus will then operate a SB local trip in service.
- PM PEAK: The express service will operate SB, departing Jackson between 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The bus will then operate a NB local trip in service.
Customers can learn more about the project by visiting our Blue Line Forest Park Branch Rebuild page.
Know before you go!
The CTA strongly recommends customers allow extra travel time and plan ahead by downloading the Ventra app, which allows you to manage your Ventra account, and also features a new trip planning tool powered by Google Maps.
Fare payment options: We offer a variety of convenient payment options—from smart devices to contactless credit cards. Learn more about payment options and ways you can maximize your dollars with our lower-priced unlimited-ride passes by visiting: transitchicago.com/fares/
Service updates: Stay in the loop on CTA service changes and alerts by subscribing to CTA Updates. For details about all CTA service, call 312-836-7000 or visit the CTA website at transitchicago.com. Twitter: @ctaalert
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