CTA provides a convenient and affordable travel option for hockey fans in Chicago heading to Wrigley Field to see the Blackhawks take on the Detroit Red Wings for the NHL Winter Classic at noon on January 1, 2009.
Due to the New Year's holiday, all buses and trains will be running on a Sunday schedule.
Bus Service:
Several CTA bus routes provide convenient service directly to Wrigley Field:
- #8 Halsted buses operate on Halsted from 79th Street to Broadway/Waveland;
- Additional service will be provided on #22 Clark buses that operate north through the Loop on Dearborn and south on Clark from Howard – buses will operate every eight to 12 minutes before and after the game;
- #80 Irving Park and #X80 Irving Park Express buses operate on Irving Park from Cumberland on the west to Lake Shore Drive on the east.
- Additional service will be provided on #152 Addison buses that operate on Addison from Cumberland on the west to Lake Shore Drive on the east – buses will operate every 12 to 15 minutes before and after the game;
- #154 Wrigley Field Express buses will operate for fans who wish to combine driving and public transit to travel to the game. #154 buses provide direct service to Wrigley Field from parking lots at DeVry University on Rockwell, a quarter-mile west of Western and a quarter-mile south of Addison. Service begins at 9 a.m. and runs until two hours after the game's end. A $6 fee includes parking at DeVry and round-trip bus transit for a carload of fans.
Rail Service:
- Red Line: Longer trains with additional service will operate during the Winter Classic – trains will operate approximately every six minutes from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Customers heading to Wrigley Field can board Red Line trains from stations in the State Street subway downtown, or from Howard, where fans can connect from Purple or Yellow Line trains serving the northern suburbs. Fans using these stations also can take advantage of convenient Park & Ride lots at Howard, Linden and Skokie.
- Yellow Line: The Yellow Line will provide additional service from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – trains will depart every 10 minutes. This provides a convenient option for fans to Park & Ride by using the more than 700 parking spaces available at the Skokie Yellow Line station, just three blocks east of the Edens Expressway.
- Purple Line: Longer trains will operate between Linden and Howard every 10 to 12 minutes from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Bus customers who use CTA fare media pay $2.00 to ride. For rail customers or customers who pay cash on the bus, the fare is $2.25. Customers who use magnetic strip cards or other CTA fare media may transfer for a 25 cent fee. Transfers are not available for customers paying fares in cash.
For details about all CTA service, call 836-7000 (all local area codes) or visit the CTA web site at www.transitchicago.com.
# # #