CTA is a home run for fans heading to Guaranteed Rate Field throughout the season
After an 18-month pandemic delay, baseball returns to Chicago’s South Side on Thursday! As one of your hometown teams, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is excited to get fans to the 2021 home opener at Guaranteed Rate Field, against the Kansas City Royals, on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 3:10 p.m.
Of course, this year’s home opener will be a bit unusual. For health and safety reasons, only about 10,000 fans will be admitted to the ballpark. But, no matter the attendance, our trains and buses are ready to take fans to and from tomorrow’s game, and throughout the season.
The CTA will closely monitor ridership throughout the day. As with other major events, the CTA is working with city partners such as the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), the Chicago Police Department, and others, to ensure the health and well-being of our customers and employees.
To help CTA provide a safe travel environment for everyone, we ask customers to be our partner and to continue following the same common-sense measures they have for the past year, specifically: maintaining social distancing; proper wearing of face masks at all times while on CTA property; not boarding crowded trains and buses; and being mindful and respectful of fellow customers.
Now, more than ever, the CTA strongly recommends that customers plan ahead, allow extra travel time, and either purchase fares in advance or use contactless payment options to avoid crowding at the station after the game.
CTA service to Guaranteed Rate Field:
- Red Line: Still a great way to get to the game! Guaranteed Rate Field is just one block west of the Sox-35th stop on the Red Line.
- Green Line: Another rapid transit option, the Green Line 35th-Bronzeville-IIT stop is just three blocks east of the ballpark.
- CTA’s Park & Ride lots are also a good choice to access CTA train service. For more information, visit transitchicago.com/parking.
- Adjacent bus routes: You also can leave the driving to us using various CTA bus lines. To get to the Sox ballpark, or within a few blocks, fans can use: #1 Bronzeville/Union Station (during Monday – Friday rush periods only); #4 Cottage Grove; #24 Wentworth; #29 State; #31 31st (which runs Monday – Friday to 7 p.m.); #35 35th (which connects with Orange and Green lines); #39 Pershing (which connects with Orange and Green lines); #44 Wallace/Racine.
Fare Information
Now, more than ever, with pandemic protocols in place, the CTA strongly recommends that customers plan ahead, leave extra travel time, and purchase fares in advance. Below are some of the convenient methods to pay your way on the CTA:
- Ventra cardholders: Customers can load their registered Ventra cards ahead of time with either transit value or unlimited ride passes (1-day, 3-day, etc.) via the free Ventra app, at rail stations, on the Ventra website or at hundreds of local retailers (for locations available or to download the app, visit ventrachicago.com).
- Visitors & others without a Ventra Card: Ventra vending machines located in all CTA rail stations sell new 1-day unlimited ride tickets (unlimited rides for one person for 24 hours) for $10 or single-ride tickets for $3 each* (which offer one ride plus up to two transfers within two hours of first use).
If choosing to use disposable tickets be sure to buy what you need on the way—tickets are good for up to 90 days from purchase, and passes or single ride trip windows aren’t activated until you first tap the ticket to use them.
Customers can also obtain reloadable Ventra fare cards at all Ventra vending machines or load them into an iPhone or Apple Watch (see note about new feature below). New, plastic Ventra Cards can be purchased from vending machines at all 'L' stations and at hundreds of retail locations (including many drugstores, currency exchanges and more). They can also be ordered online or by phone.
- New: With the Ventra app, you can now load a new or existing Ventra Card into your Apple Wallet and pay with a Ventra Card using your iPhone or Apple Watch. It works just like a Ventra Card and comes with all the features and options of any regular Ventra Transit Account. (This functionality is coming soon to Google Pay on Android devices!)
- Mobile Pay apps (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.) & contactless bankcards: All Ventra card/ticket readers accept contactless bankcards, including bankcards loaded into a Pay app on your phone (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, etc.)When making a contactless payment directly at a reader using a bankcard or bankcard in a Pay app, you’ll pay a Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) fare ($2.50 in most locations*) If you need to make a transfer, transfers at the regular transfer rate (or where free) are also available when paying this way.
- Cash: Cash payments are accepted on buses and require exact fare. No transfers are available with cash fares, only with Ventra fare cards and tickets. Cash also can be used at all Ventra vending machines to add value or passes to Ventra Cards or to buy disposable Ventra Tickets. You also can use cash to load value at Ventra retailers.
*Note: A special fare applies at O’Hare for regular fares paid from a Ventra Transit Account, PAYG fares and single-ride tic
Stay in the Loop on CTA service
Plan your trip using the Google Transit Trip Planner. Be sure to also check out CTA on Facebook or Twitter (@CTA) for system travel updates and alerts. For details about all CTA service, call 312-836-7000 or visit the CTA website at transitchicago.com.
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