10/03/07
Participants and spectators heading to The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon are encouraged to use the convenient service provided by CTA. The marathon begins at 8 a.m. Sunday, October 7, starting just north of Jackson on Columbus Drive with the course winding through numerous city neighborhoods.
To decrease travel time and reduce lines, customers heading to the marathon are encouraged to buy CTA farecards or Visitor Passes in advance with sufficient value, or to add enough value to their existing farecards (i.e., the Chicago Card, Chicago Card Plus or magnetic strip Transit Card) for their return trips later in the day.
CTA personnel will be on duty at select stations along the Blue, Red, Green, Brown, Pink and Orange lines at Loop elevated stations and at major bus stops to assist customers and to provide travel information.
CTA will operate longer trains to accommodate spectators. Because bus routes in the vicinity of the marathon also will be impacted with intermittent reroutes or delays due to lane closures, CTA recommends customers allow extra travel time.
Bus Service
CTA will operate earlier service on the #3 King Drive bus route between McCormick Place (from 6 a.m. until 7:45 a.m.) and Michigan / Chicago (from 6:20 a.m. until 8:05 a.m.) to accommodate runners and spectators staying in downtown and McCormick Place hotels. Service will run every 15 minutes.
During the course of the race, there will be intermittent reroutes along several CTA bus routes. The affected routes are:
#3 King Drive
#4 Cottage Grove
#6 Jackson Park Express
#8 Halsted
#9 Ashland
#10 Museum of Science & Industry
#11 Lincoln/Sedgwick
#12 Roosevelt
#14 Jeffery Express
#18 16th/18th
#20 Madison
#21 Cermak
#22 Clark
#29 State
#35 35th
#36 Broadway
#44 Wallace/Racine
#50 Damen
#56 Milwaukee
#60 Blue Island/26th
#62 Archer
#65 Grand
#66 Chicago
#70 Division
#72 North
#73 Armitage
#74 Fullerton
#76 Diversey
#77 Belmont
#124 Navy Pier
#126 Jackson
#145 Wilson/Michigan Express
#146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express
#147 Outer Drive Express
#151 Sheridan
#152 Addison
Reroutes can be expected in the downtown area from 6:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.; on the North Side from 6:30 a.m. until noon; on the West Side from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.; and on the South Side from 6:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. All times are approximate and detours will be determined by Chicago police and CTA supervisory personnel.
Rail Service
Blue Line
Longer trains will operate until approximately 4 p.m. to and from downtown.
Brown Line
Longer trains will operate until approximately 4 p.m. to and from downtown.
Orange Line
Longer trains will operate beginning at 5:35 a.m. from Midway.
Red Line
More frequent service between 95th and Howard.
Park & Ride Facilities
Parking is available for approximately 6,800 cars at CTA's 18 Park & Ride facilities, mainly at terminals, throughout the CTA system. Rates are $3 at Rosemont and Forest Park and $2 at all other locations.
Park & Ride stations are listed on CTA's system map and on the CTA's web site. Customers may also obtain information on Park & Ride facilities by calling 836-7000 from any local area code.
Viewing Areas
For marathon fans interested in following the progress of the race, there are spectator viewing areas designated near CTA rail stations at 10 points along the race route.
- First Viewing Area ? Jackson (Red Line) Station ? Race Start, Mile #2. Board a Red Line train and exit at Jackson. Walk a half-mile east toward Grant Park.
- Second Viewing Area ? Grand (Red Line) Station
? Miles #1, #3 and #12. Board a Red Line train and exit at Grand.
- Third Viewing Area ? Chicago (Red Line) Station
? Miles #3.5 and #11.5. Board a Red Line train and exit at Chicago. Walk three blocks west to LaSalle.
- Fourth Viewing Area ? Addison (Red Line) Station
? Mile #7.75. Board a Red Line train and exit at Addison. Walk four blocks east to Broadway.
- Fifth Viewing Area ? Sedgwick (Brown Line) Station
? Mile #10.25. Board a Brown Line train and exit at Sedgwick. Walk a half-block north to North Avenue.
- Sixth Viewing Area ? UIC-Halsted (Blue Line) Station
? Miles #16, 16.5. Board a Blue Line train and exit at UIC-Halsted. Use the Halsted or Morgan exits. Walk two blocks north on Morgan to Jackson to view the runners at Mile 16 in Greektown. Use the Halsted exit to view the runners at Mile 16.5 on Halsted.
- Seventh Viewing Area ? 18th (Pink Line) Station
? Mile #19. Board a Pink Line train and exit at 18th. Walk one block east to Ashland to Mile 19 in Pilsen.
- Eighth Viewing Area ? Halsted (Orange Line) Station
? Mile #20.5. Board an Orange Line train and exit at Halsted.
- Ninth Viewing Area ? 35th-Bronzeville-IIT (Green Line) Station
? Mile #23. Board a Green Line train and exit at 35th-Bronzeville-IIT. Use either the 34th Street or 35th Street exit.
- Tenth Viewing Area ? Roosevelt (Red, Green and Orange Lines) Station
? Finish Line. Board a Red, Green or Orange Line train and exit at Roosevelt. Walk east on Roosevelt toward the Museum Campus and Grant Park.
Fare Information
Cash Fare (Bus Only): $2.00
Transit Card: $1.75 (bus) / $2.00 (rail)
Stored value Transit Cards can be purchased with cash at any CTA rail station. Transit Cards also allow two additional rides in two hours on another bus and/or train to complete your trip for an additional 25 cents. Transit Cards are also available online at transitchicago.com. Packs of pre-valued Transit Cards are available at neighborhood Currency Exchanges and select Dominick's, Jewel Foods Stores and CVS Pharmacies.
Visitor Passes: Unlimited ride Visitor Passes also are available. A 1-day pass ($5) offers 24 hours of unlimited riding from the first use; 2-day ($9), 3-day ($12), 5-day ($18) and 7-Day ($20) passes are also available. Visitor Passes cannot be shared or recharged. Visitor Passes are sold at vending machines accepting cash and major credit cards at O'Hare Airport, Midway Airport, Union Station, and the Chicago/State, Cumberland and Rosemont CTA rail stations and the Water Works Visitor Information Center.
Call 1-888-YOUR-CTA or visit www.transitchicago.com for advance sales and other sales outlets. Transit Cards and Visitor Passes will be sold at the CTA booth at The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Health & Fitness Expo on Friday, October 5.
For all CTA service information, call 836-7000 (from any local area code) or visit the web site at www.transitchicago.com.
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