10/12/00
The spirits of Halloween will ride the rails again this season as the CTA and the Mayor's Office of Special Events team up to provide ghostly trips around the Loop on a Haunted 'L' train. The train will operate Thursday evenings from October 12th through the 26th, and at select times on Saturdays and Sundays, starting October 14th.
"The Haunted 'L' train was so popular last year that we?re joining with the Mayor's Office of Special Events to provide almost three times as many trips this Halloween season," said CTA Chairman Valerie B. Jarrett. "This will give families an added incentive to come downtown, not only on weekends, but also on Thursday nights, as part of the ?Downtown Thursday Nights? program."
Cars on the Haunted 'L' train will be decorated in traditional Halloween themes, while the on-board performances are produced by ?The Aardvark," a Chicago theatrical group. Children and adults alike will be thrilled by the ghostly portrayals of historic Chicago folk figures.
The Haunted 'L' tours are free, but guests must first obtain tickets from the Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center at 77 East Randolph. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be offered only on the same day the Haunted 'L' trip is taken. The Center opens at 10 a.m. daily.
"Riding the Haunted 'L' can be fun as well as an educational experience," said CTA President Frank Kruesi. "Parents can use this opportunity to teach their growing goblins about the CTA so that when they?re old enough to travel on their own, they can take a bus or train to school, visit friends or see a show."
Haunted 'L' tours begin at the inner Loop Randolph/Wabash 'L' station and last for 40 minutes. The tours will start at 7, 7:40 and 8:20 p.m. on Thursday evenings, October 12, 19 and 26. On Saturdays and Sundays, October 14 -15, 21 - 22 and 28 - 29, departures will be at 11:35 a.m. and at 12:15, 12:55 and 1:35 p.m. Persons with disabilities can make arrangements at the time they pick up their tickets to board the train at the accessible Clark/Lake 'L' station.
# # #