A phone showing high speeds on a wifi speed test at Grand on the Red Line

Fast, free Wi-fi

High-speed Wi-Fi now available in all downtown subway stations!

You can now rely on free, high-speed Wi-Fi service at all Red and Blue line subway stations in the downtown area!

The new service is available at 18 stations and is the latest investment in technology to enhance the travel experience for residents and visitors commuting to jobs, school and activities.

This is the latest investment in technology to enhance the travel experience for CTA customers. In 2015, we became the largest public transit system in North America to provide transit riders with full 4G wireless coverage throughout its entire system, having added wireless coverage throughout our entire 22 miles of subway and tunnels.

Get connected

Locations

Station platforms now equipped with the new Wi-Fi service include:

  • Blue Line: Division, Chicago, Grand, Clark/Lake, Washington, Monroe, Jackson, LaSalle and Clinton
  • Red Line: North/Clybourn, Clark/Division, Chicago/State, Grand, Lake, Monroe, Jackson, Harrison and Roosevelt

How to connect

Simply connect to the network with the network name (SSID) CTA-PUBLIC-WIFI when waiting at any of these stations.

Before accessing the Internet, you'll need to accept our policy agreement, which is valid for a 24-hour period (many devices will prompt you to do this automatically after you connect). 

Using public networks

Our Wi-Fi network is a public network, just like you’d find at Chicago’s parks and libraries, as well as all sorts of stores, coffeehouses and restaurants around the world.

Because it's a public network, we can't guarantee a right of privacy to information you send and user information may not be protected. We encourage people to use the same practices recommended for any such network, like only sharing private data thru encrypted (HTTPS on the web, etc.) connections.

Many of the apps you use encrypt information that's sent and received automatically, but you can check with individual app makers to be sure that they encrypt data you send to/from their servers.

If you're not familiar with accessing public Wi-Fi networks, we recommend reviewing the FCC's tips and information on using public Wi-Fi before connecting to public networks.

More information

The Blue Line’s Belmont and Logan Square stations will be equipped with Wi-Fi by late May.

You can find information on these stations, including locations by clicking a stop on the route information page for either the Red Line or Blue Line.

See also: Learn more about the expansion to all downtown stations in this May 8, 2019 press release.

Wifi terms and conditions

System status snapshot
‘L’ route status
Red Line
Normal Service
Blue Line
Normal Service
Brown Line
Normal Service
Green Line
Normal Service
Orange Line
Normal Service
Pink Line
Normal Service
Purple Line
Normal Service
Yellow Line
Normal Service
Bus routes w/alerts
Elevator alerts