NOTE: CTA will operate on a Sunday/holiday schedule on Thursday, November 25 —Thanksgiving Day. Bus and rail service will operate on a normal weekday schedule on Friday, November 26.
CTA Holiday Train
On Wednesday, November 24 from noon until 6 p.m., the festive CTA Holiday Train will travel along the Green Line and through the Loop. In addition, from approximately 4 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, the train will operate continuously around the Loop for this year's tree-lighting ceremonies in Daley Plaza.
Customers also can catch the Holiday Train along the Green Line between the hours of 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, November 26.
The Holiday Train will travel along all CTA rail lines through the end of December as part of its regular rail service. Normal CTA fares apply.
Tree Lighting Ceremony
From 2 p.m. until approximately 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 24, five CTA bus routes will be detoured due to the closure of Washington Street between Clark and Dearborn for the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Daley Plaza.
The following routes will be detoured to adjacent streets to maintain service:
#20 Madison (Eastbound Only)
Eastbound #20 buses will travel over the regular route along Washington to LaSalle then will operate via LaSalle, Monroe, State to Washington and then resume the regular route. Westbound #20 buses are not affected and will travel over the regular route.
#56 Milwaukee (Southbound Only)
Southbound #56 buses will operate over the regular route along Washington to LaSalle then will travel via LaSalle, Monroe, Michigan to Madison and then resume the regular route. Northbound #56 buses are not affected and will travel over the regular route.
#60 Blue Island/26th (Northbound Only)
Northbound #60 buses will travel over the regular route along Washington to LaSalle then will operate via LaSalle, Monroe to Michigan and then resume the regular route north on Michigan past Washington. Southbound #60 buses are not affected and will travel over the regular route.
#129 West Loop/South Loop (Southbound Only)
Southbound #129 buses will operate over the regular route along Washington to LaSalle then will travel via LaSalle, Monroe to Clark then resume the regular route. Northbound #129 buses are not affected and will travel over the regular route.
#157 Streeterville/Taylor (Northbound Only)
Northbound #157 buses will travel over the regular route along Washington to LaSalle then will operate via LaSalle, Wacker, Wacker Place to Michigan and then resume the regular route. Southbound #157 buses are not affected and will travel over the regular route.
77th Annual McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Several CTA bus routes will be detoured throughout the week for the set-up, duration and clean-up of the 77th Annual McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 25. The parade is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday and will proceed north on State from Congress to Randolph.
Parade Set-Up
To allow crews to set up the parade grandstand for the Thanksgiving Day parade, six CTA bus routes will be detoured due to the closure of State Street between Washington and Randolph from 10 p.m. Tuesday, November 23 until 5 a.m. the following morning and then again from 8 p.m. Wednesday, November 24, until the parade ends on Thursday.
The following six routes will be temporarily detoured to nearby streets to maintain service:
Southbound #4 Cottage Grove (Owl Service) buses will travel over the regular route along Randolph past State to Clark then will operate via Clark to Washington and then resume the regular route. Northbound #4 (Owl Service) buses are not affected and will travel over the regular route.
Southbound #6 Jackson Park Express, #29 State, #36 Broadway, #62 Archer and #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express buses will operate over their regular routes along State to Randolph then will travel via Randolph, Clark, Washington to State and then resume their regular routes.
Northbound #29 and #146 buses will travel over their regular routes along State to Washington then will operate via Washington, Michigan, Randolph to State and then resume their regular routes.
Northbound #6, #36 and #62 buses are not affected and will travel their regular routes.
Thanksgiving Day Parade Bus Reroutes
Sixteen CTA bus routes that operate downtown will undergo temporary reroutes for the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday.
In addition to being closed between Washington and Madison, State Street also will be closed between Roosevelt and Congress from 4 a.m. until the completion of the parade. All east-west streets between Roosevelt and Wacker will be closed at State from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
CTA will detour buses operating in the vicinity of the parade from early morning until the parade ends. Customers should allow extra travel time.
The affected routes are: #6 Jackson Park Express, #10 Museum of Science & Industry, #14 Jeffery Express, #20 Madison, #22 Clark, #29 State, #36 Broadway, #56 Milwaukee, #60 Blue Island/26th, #62 Archer, #124 Navy Pier, #126 Jackson, #145 Wilson/Michigan Express, #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express, #147 Outer Drive Express and #151 Sheridan.
All CTA buses and trains will operate on a Sunday/holiday schedule on Thursday.
#6 Jackson Park Express and #10 Museum of Science & Industry
Instead of operating along State Street, southbound #6 and #10 buses will operate along Michigan between Wacker and Balbo then resume their regular routes. Northbound #10 buses will travel the reverse route; northbound #6 buses are not affected and will travel over the regular route.
#14 Jeffery Express
Northbound #14 buses will operate along Michigan past Madison to Wacker Place-South Water and then travel via Wacker Place, Wabash, Wacker Drive, Clark to Madison and then resume the regular route. Southbound #14 buses will travel along Monroe to Dearborn then operate via Dearborn, Wacker, Wacker Place to Michigan and then resume the regular route.
#20 Madison, #56 Milwaukee and #60 Blue Island/26th
Eastbound #20 and #60 and southbound #56 buses will end their trips at Dearborn and Madison and will begin westbound trips on Madison at Dearborn over the regular route. Buses operating along the #20, #56 and #60 routes will not travel east of Dearborn.
#22 Clark
Southbound #22 buses will travel to Clark and Congress before resuming northbound service via Congress to Dearborn. #22 buses will not operate south of Congress.
#29 State
Northbound #29 buses will operate over the regular route along State to Roosevelt then will travel via Roosevelt, Clark, Harrison, Dearborn, Wacker to State and then resume the regular route. Southbound #29 buses will travel over the regular route along State to Wacker then will operate via Wacker, Clark, Roosevelt to State and then resume the regular route.
#36 Broadway
Southbound #36 will travel over the regular route along State to Wacker then will operate via Wacker, Clark, Congress to Dearborn before turning to begin northbound service over the regular route. #36 buses will not operate south of Congress.
#62 Archer
Northbound #62 buses will operate over the regular route along State to Roosevelt and then will travel via Roosevelt, Michigan, Wacker Place, Wabash, Wacker Drive to Dearborn and then resume the regular route. Southbound #62 buses will travel over the regular route along State to Wacker Drive then will operate via Wacker Drive, Wacker Place, Michigan, Roosevelt to State and then resume the regular route.
Westbound #124 buses will travel over the regular route along South Water into Wacker Place then will operate via Wacker Place, Wabash, Wacker Drive, Clark to Madison and then resume the regular route. Eastbound #124 buses are not affected and will travel over the regular route.
Eastbound #126 Jackson buses will travel to Jackson and Dearborn before returning to Adams to begin westbound service.
While State Street is closed, northbound and southbound #145 and #147 buses will operate on Michigan between Wacker and Congress.
Instead of operating along State Street, southbound #146 buses will operate along Michigan between Wacker and Roosevelt then resume their regular routes. Northbound #146 buses will travel the reverse route.
Northbound #151 buses will travel over the regular route along Monroe to Dearborn then will operate via Dearborn, Wacker Drive, Wacker Place to Michigan and then resume the regular route. Southbound #151 buses will travel over the regular route along Michigan to Wacker then will operate via Wacker Drive, Clark to Adams and then resume the regular route.
For information on all CTA service, call 312-836-7000 or use the transit trip planners on the front page of the CTA website.