CTA’s trains and buses are the best and most affordable ways to get to various sporting events and concerts, participate in or cheer on runners in the Chicago Marathon; Construction work to temporarily impact the Pink and Brown Lines
CTA will be providing added capacity, so whether you plan to run or cheer on the runners, take a train or bus to avoid the headaches of traffic and parking near the route of the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon and Abbott Health and Fitness Expo at McCormick Place. For details about marathon service, you can find it here on CTA’s 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. 10/10 at 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Fri. 10/11 and Sat. 10/12 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. 10/12 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
2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Grant Park and Citywide – Sun. 10/13 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 start 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.
- 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. 10/14 at 12 p.m.
Service:
- Rail: All rail lines downtown will get you access to the parade, exit in the loop.
United Center
- V103 Presents: Maxwell – Thu. 10/10 at 7:30 p.m.
- Jelly Roll – Fri. 10/11 at 7 p.m.
- Preseason Game: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Chicago Bulls – Sat. 10/12 at 7 p.m.
- Sabrina Carpenter – Sun. 10/13 at 7 p.m.
- Preseason Game – Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Chicago Bulls – Wed. 10/16 at 7 p.m.
Service:
- Rail: Take the Green Line and exit at the new Damen Green Line station or Ashland station. Take the Pink Line and exit at the Ashland station.
- Bus: 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
- John Summit – Thu. 10/10, Fri. 10/11 and Sat. 10/12 at 5 p.m.
Weekend Work to Temporarily Impact Pink Line Service
- Between 10 p.m. on Fri. 10/11 and 4 a.m. on Sat. 10/12, rail service on the Pink Line will operate between 54th/Cermak and Polk, then to Racine Blue Line for connecting Blue Line train service to/from downtown. (More details)
- For service to downtown from Pink Line stations between 54th/Cermak and Polk, take a Pink Line train toward the Loop and stay on board until the train reaches Racine on the Blue Line, where you can transfer to continuing Blue Line service into downtown.
- For service from downtown to Pink Line stations between Polk and 54th/Cermak, take a Blue Line train toward Forest Park to Racine and transfer to a Pink Line train toward 54th/Cermak.
- For service to/from Ashland, Morgan or Clinton stations, use Blue Line service between Racine and Clark/Lake, and Green Line service.
- Connecting service between the Pink Line and Ashland station is also available via the #9 Ashland bus – use Polk Pink Line station and walk 1-1/2 blocks between the station and Ashland Ave (transfer charge applies).
- This service change is due to traction power upgrades to allow trains to operate more efficiently along the Green and Pink Lines.
Work to Impact Brown Line Service
- Starting on Sun. 10/13 at 9 p.m. until Sun. 11/10, Loop-bound Brown Line trains will not stop at the Western Brown Line station. More details
- For Loop-bound service from this station, take a Kimball-bound train to Rockwell and transfer to a Loop-bound train.
- For Loop-bound service to this station, take a Loop-bound train to Damen and transfer to a Kimball-bound train.
- Service changes are due to improvements happening at the Western Brown Line station.
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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