12/30/99
The CTA will make it convenient and economical to welcome in the new millennium by providing extra service and penny rides during the time most revelers will be taking part in New Year's celebrations.
As in the past, CTA will charge only a penny to ride its trains and buses from 8 p.m. Friday, December 31, until 6 a.m. Saturday, January 1, 2000. The CTA will also add service on certain 'L' and bus lines. To ensure a smooth transition into the new millennium, all 'L' trains will remain standing in the nearest station for 5 to10 minutes before and after the clock strikes midnight.
Orange and Brown Line trains, which regularly end service downtown about midnight, will start their final trips around the Loop just after 1:30 a.m. Green Line trains will keep their regular schedules, serving the Loop until after 1:20 a.m. Red and Blue Line trains serve downtown 24 hours daily.
Fireworks and other city-sponsored activities will take place at several locations served by CTA, including the South Shore Cultural Center, 71st and South Shore, the lakefront at Buckingham Fountain, and Montrose east of Lake Shore Drive in Lincoln Park. For the fireworks display at Navy Pier, the CTA will provide service on five bus lines until 2:15 a.m. Saturday, January 1.
CTA's #29 State, #56 Milwaukee, #65 Grand and #66 Chicago buses, which operate to Navy Pier every day, will be supplemented by shuttle service. Shuttles on the #65 Grand route will start from the Blue Line subway stop at Grand/Milwaukee at 6:55 p.m. Shuttles on the #29 State route will begin at 7:15 p.m. from State/Van Buren, and on the #66 Chicago route, from the Brown Line station at Franklin, starting at 7:30 p.m. Shuttles on the #56 Milwaukee route will run after the fireworks end until 2:15 a.m. from Navy Pier to State/Washington.
Also serving Navy Pier will be buses on the #121 Navy Pier Express route, which provides direct service for Metra riders from Union Station and the Ogilvie Transportation Center (North Western Station). #121 buses will operate north from the stations every 10 minutes from 7:05 until 11:35 p.m. Return trips from Navy Pier will continue until 2:15 a.m. Buses stop for Union Station northbound on Canal at Adams, and for Ogilvie Center on Canal at Madison or Washington.
Information about all CTA, Metra and Pace service will be available throughout the night by calling 836-7000 (all local area codes).
###