CTA’s trains and buses are the best ways to get to various sporting events and concerts, participate in or cheer on runners in the highly anticipated Chicago Marathon; station opening on the Blue Line
In preparation for the 2025 Bank of American Chicago Marathon on Sunday, CTA will be providing added capacity for the thousands of runners and supporters throughout the day. Take a train or bus to avoid the hassles of traffic and parking near the route of the marathon and the Abbott Health and Fitness Expo at McCormick Place.
See details about where to watch the race, as well as bus reroutes in the area, on our dedicated Bank of America Chicago Marathon webpage.
Save money by purchasing an unlimited rides pass, either the 1-Day ($5) – far more economical and convenient than the price of gas and parking - or the 3-Day ($15) pass – a real budget-saving move.
Chicago Marathon Events
Abbott Health and Fitness Expo for Chicago Marathon
McCormick Place – Thu. 10/9 at 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Fri. 10/10 and Sat. 10/11 at 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Service:
- Rail: Take the Green Line and exit at the Cermak-McCormick Place station.
- Bus: The #3 King Drive route provides the closest service to the expo.
Abbott Chicago 5K
Grant Park – Sat. 10/11 at 7:30 a.m.
Service:
- Rail: All rail lines downtown will get you access to the event.
- Loop Elevated: Exit at either Washington/Wabash or Adams/Wabash
- Red and Blue Lines: Exit at Jackson and walk a couple blocks east
- Bus: Multiple bus routes in the area will be rerouted. For additional reroute information check our website: https://www.transitchicago.com/alerts/
2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Grant Park and citywide – Sun. 10/12 gates open at 5:30 a.m. at Grant Park and first runners start at 7:20 a.m. for their journey around the city. Added capacity is planned for several rail lines, as needed.
Service:
- Rail: Red, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange and Pink Lines will get you access to the starting and finish lines in Grant Park or anywhere along the marathon route. Southbound service from Linden to Howard on the Purple Line will begin at 5:30 a.m., rather than the regularly scheduled 6:05 a.m. (More details)
- Bus: Over 30 CTA bus routes will be impacted due to the marathon. These include all routes in the Loop and most routes that operate south of Irving Park, east of Damen, and north of 35th St. Check this link for specific route information: https://www.transitchicago.com/marathon/#watching
Service for Upcoming Events
Columbus Day Parade
State Street between Wacker Drive to Van Buren – Mon. 10/13 at 12 p.m.
Service:
- Rail: All rail lines downtown will get you access to the parade, exit in the loop.
- Bus: Multiple bus routes in the loop will be rerouted. Check out the alerts on our website for more information: https://www.transitchicago.com/alerts/
United Center Events
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls (Preseason) – Thu. 10/9 at 7 p.m.
- Laufey – Fri. 10/9 at 7:30 p.m.
- Montreal Canadiens vs. Chicago Blackhawks – Sat. 10/11 at 6 p.m.
- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls – Sun. 10/12 at 6 p.m.
- Utah Mammoth vs. Chicago Blackhawks – Mon. 10/13 at 7:30 p.m.
- P1Harmony – Tue. 10/14 at 8 p.m.
Service:
- Rail: Take the Green Line and exit at the new Damen station or exit at the Ashland station from either a Green or Pink line train.
- Get to and from the following events via the #20 Madison and #50 Damen bus routes. Customers can also take the #19 United Center Express route post event.
Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Service on the #146 Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Express route
- Chance the Rapper – Fri. 10/10 at 8 p.m.
Wrigley Field
- Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs (Playoffs) – Thu. 10/9 at 8:08 p.m.
Service:
- Red Line: The Addison station is located just a half block east of Wrigley Field.
- Purple Line: Before weeknight events only, Loop-bound Purple Line Express trains will stop at the Sheridan station.
- 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.
- Adjacent bus routes: Several CTA bus routes serve the Wrigley Field area, including:
- #8 Halsted
- #22 Clark
- #36 Broadway
- #80 Irving Park
- #151 Sheridan
There is a possibility that service can be rerouted. For additional route information check our website: https://www.transitchicago.com/schedules/
Racine Blue Line Station
- On Friday, the Racine Blue Line station’s main entrance will reopen. (More details)
- The station’s Loomis entrance/exit will temporarily close on Mon. 10/13 until further notice.
- To access the Racine station during this time, customers should use the main entrance/exit, located two blocks east of the Loomis entrance/exit.
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.
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