NOTE: CTA will operate on a Sunday/holiday schedule on Friday, July 4 – Independence Day.
The Chicago Transit Authority is a convenient and affordable transit option for those traveling to downtown events during the holiday weekend, including the Fourth of July Fireworks at Navy Pier, Dave Matthews Band concert at Northerly Island, and the Cruz Azul vs. Pumas exhibition soccer match at Soldier Field.
The CTA will provide more frequent train service beginning early evening Friday, July 4, on the Red, Blue, Brown and Orange lines. On Friday and Saturday, July 5, longer trains will operate on the Red, Blue, Green, Pink, Orange and Brown lines, beginning in the early evening through at least midnight.
In addition, the CTA will increase bus service on routes serving Navy Pier, downtown Loop and lakefront areas.
To help decrease travel times and reduce lines at rail stations during the return trip, the CTA recommends that customers either load transit value or passes to their Ventra farecard at rail stations, online or at more than 1,300 local retailers ahead of time (see below for more information) or purchase a 1-day unlimited ride Ventra ticket.
RAIL SERVICE
Red Line
Friday and Saturday: longer trains will operate until 1 a.m. and more frequent service will be provided between 7 p.m. and midnight.
Blue Line
- Friday: Longer trains will operate in both directions beginning late afternoon until at least midnight. Northbound (to O’Hare) trains will operate more frequently beginning 6:30 p.m. until 1 a.m.
- Saturday: Longer trains will operate beginning late afternoon until at least midnight.
Brown Line
- Friday: Brown Line service hours (from Kimball to the Loop) will be extended until 1 a.m. More frequent service will be provided between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Longer trains will operate to the Loop beginning at 6 p.m. until the end of service.
- Saturday: Longer trains will operate from 7 p.m. until end of service.
Green Line
Friday and Saturday: Longer trains will operate beginning late afternoon until the end of service.
Orange Line
- Friday: Longer trains will operate beginning at 5 p.m. until the end of service. More frequent service will be provided between 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
- Saturday: Longer trains will operate beginning at 4 p.m. until the end of service.
Pink Line
Friday and Saturday: Longer trains will operate beginning late afternoon until the end of service.
BUS SERVICE
In anticipation of increased crowds heading downtown this weekend, additional service will be provided along the following 10 routes: #3 King, #4 Cottage Grove, #12 Roosevelt, #J14 Jeffery Jump, #29 State, #65 Grand, #66 Chicago, #124 Navy Pier, #130 Museum Campus, and #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express.
EVENTS
In general, additional bus service will be provided for the following events beginning approximately 2.5 hours prior to the event beginning. Additional service also will be provided at the end of each event.
Navy Pier Fireworks
The following routes that regularly serve Navy Pier will provide extra service on both Friday and Saturday night for one hour after fireworks end or as crowds warrant: #29 State, #65 Grand, #66 Chicago, #124 Navy Pier.
Additional bus service also will be provided on the following routes serving the downtown lakefront area: #3 King Drive, #4 Cottage Grove, #12 Roosevelt and #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express.
To avoid overcrowding and traffic congestion, police may close streets leading to/from Navy Pier for safety reasons. These closures could result in reroutes for CTA bus routes operating the vicinity of Navy Pier. Customers are advised to allow extra travel time.
Following the fireworks, CTA customers at Navy Pier will be directed to buses awaiting them at the circular drive at the Pier. Having a dedicated space for buses will help CTA to board customers quickly and help mitigate congestion.
Dave Matthews Band Concert @ Northerly Island
Extra service will be provided along the #130 Museum Campus and #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express routes for concert goers heading to Northerly Island for the Dave Matthews Band concerts on Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with the show beginning at approximately 7 p.m. each day.
Cruz Azul vs. Pumas @ Soldier Field
Extra service will be provided along the #130 Museum Campus and #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express routes for fans heading to Soldier Field for the Cruz Azul vs. Pumas exhibition soccer match on Sunday, July 6. Gates open at noon and kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Fare Information
Bus customers who use CTA fare media pay $2 to ride. The fare for rail customers and for customers who choose to pay cash on the bus is $2.25. Customers who use CTA fare media may transfer for a 25-cent fee within two hours of the start of their trip. A second transfer within that period is free. Transfers are not available for customers paying fares in cash.
Effective July 1, the CTA fully transitioned to the new Ventra fare payment system. Customers are no longer able to purchase or use Transit Cards (i.e. magnetic stripe and Chicago Card/Chicago Card Plus cards) on buses or at CTA rail stations.
Ventra makes it easier to travel on the CTA by allowing customers to pay-per-ride or use unlimited-ride passes from the same reusable Ventra transit farecard. Customers can add value or passes to their Ventra cards at rail station vending machines, online (including from mobile phones) or at more than 1,300 retailers (including drugstores and currency exchanges).
To learn more about CTA fare payment options, including use of contactless personal bank cards, or if you wish to add value or passes to your Ventra card in advance, visit ventrachicago.com.