CTA’s trains and buses are the most convenient ways to get to various sporting events, concerts, NASCAR Race Events at Grant Park and Museum Campus and Independence Celebration Fireworks at Navy Pier
CTA is the safe, convenient and reliable way to get to and from the festivities this long holiday weekend has to offer. Be mindful though of street closures associated with events and plan for extra time in your travel. CTA will be expanding the hours of bus service and overnight routing (see below) that serve downtown near special events and locations.
Customers can 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.
Service for Upcoming Events
NASCAR Street Race Weekend
Grant Park – Sat. 7/5 and Sun. 7/6 at 9 a.m.
Service:
- Rail: All CTA rail lines serving downtown can get race attendees access to the track area:
- Loop Elevated (Brown/Green/Orange/Pink lines): Exit at either Washington/Wabash or Adams/Wabash and Roosevelt (Green and Orange).
- Red Line: Exit at Monroe, Jackson or Roosevelt and walk a couple of blocks east.
- Blue Line: Exit at Monroe and Jackson and walk a couple of blocks east.
- Bus: There are street closures around Grant Park that are associated with the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. Several downtown bus routes, including the #3, #4, #6, #10, #N4, #10, #12, #J14, #18, #126, #130, #146, #147 and #151 will be subject to temporary reroutes and temporary bus stop changes at phased times. More detailed information about all the downtown bus reroutes can be found on our dedicated webpage at: transitchicago.com/nascar/
- CTA will operate a Museum Campus Shuttle on the #146 Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Express between the Roosevelt Red/Orange/Green line station and Museum Campus from Wed. 7/2 through Tue. 7/8. Bus shuttles are free, and operate every 15 minutes. Customers riding the #130 Museum Campus bus will need to transfer at Roosevelt to continue to Museum Campus.
Independence Celebration Fireworks
Navy Pier – Sat. 7/5 at 10 p.m.
Service:
- Rail: The nearest rail station to Navy Pier is the Grand Red Line station. Customers can also take the Blue Line to the Grand/Milwaukee station and take the #65 Grand bus route. You can also take the Red Line to the Chicago station and walk over to North Avenue Beach, which offers a great vantage point to the fireworks.
- Service on the Yellow Line will be extended until 1 a.m.
- Bus: Several CTA bus routes will be providing service to Navy Pier including the following:
- #29 State
- #65 Grand
- #66 Chicago
- #124 Navy Pier
*Please note that the post event boarding location for the #29 State and #124 Navy Pier bus routes will be at Illinois and Peshtigo.
Wednesday’s Navy Pier Fireworks
Service on the #29 State, #65 Grand, #66 Chicago and #124 Navy Pier routes.
United Center Events
- Keyshia Cole – Sat. 7/5 at 8 p.m.
- Wu-Tang Clan – Mon. 7/7 at 8 p.m.
Service:
- Rail: Take the Green Line and exit at the new Damen station or exit at the Ashland station from either a Green or Pink line train.
- 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
- Teddy Swims – Tue. 7/8 at 8 p.m.
- Bunbury – Wed. 7/9 at 8 p.m.
Wrigley Field
- Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago Cubs – Thu. 7/3 at 7:05 p.m.
- St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs – Fri. 7/4 and Sat. 7/5 at 1:20 p.m., Sun. 7/6 at 5:10 p.m.
Service:
- Red Line: The Addison station is located just a half block east of Wrigley Field.
- Purple Line: Before weeknight events only, Loop-bound Purple Line Express trains will stop at the Sheridan station.
- Yellow Line: Take the Yellow Line and transfer at Howard to the Red Line; continue to Addison station. To accommodate fans returning home, the Yellow Line will run for an hour later from Howard – until midnight – for all night games at Wrigley Field.
- #152 Addison: The #152 route will provide additional service on Cubs game days, with more frequent service two hours before and one hour after all games.
- Adjacent bus routes: Several CTA bus routes serve the Wrigley Field area, including:
- #8 Halsted
- #22 Clark
- #36 Broadway
- #80 Irving Park
- #151 Sheridan
There is a possibility that service can be rerouted.
Rate Field:
- Toronto Blue Jays vs. White Sox – Mon. 7/7 and Tue. 7/8 at 6:40 p.m., Wed. 7/9 at 1:10 p.m.
Service:
- Red Line: Rate Field is just one block west of the Sox-35th station.
- Green Line: The 35th-Bronzeville-IIT station is just three blocks east of the ballpark.
- #35 31st/35th: The #35 route (which connects with Orange and Green lines) is the main bus route providing service to the stadium and operates during all game times.
- Adjacent bus routes: Several CTA bus routes serve the ballpark area, including:
- #1 Bronzeville/Union Station (during Monday – Friday rush periods only)
- #4 Cottage Grove
- #24 Wentworth (which runs Monday – Friday to 8:30 p.m.)
- #29 State
- #31 31st (which runs Monday – Friday to 7 p.m.)
- #39 Pershing (which connects with Orange and Green lines)
- #44 Wallace/Racine
There is a possibility that service can be rerouted.
Beach Service
Now through mid-August, service to the lakefront has been expanded to weekdays and
will operate directly to Chicago’s beaches on the following bus routes:
Buses will operate to/from beaches between approximately 9 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Added Service on Five Bus Routes
CTA has expanded the hours of service and overnight routing on the following routes:
- #4 Cottage Grove
- More service on Sundays
- Overnight “Owl” service is also extended south from 63rd to 95th / Dyan Ryan Red Line Station
- #18 16th/18th Street
- Expanding service to 10:30pm daily
- #66 Chicago
- More service weekdays
- Overnight “Owl” service extended west from Pulaski to Austin
- #147 Outer DuSable Lakeshore Express
- Expanding to 11:30pm daily
- #157 Streeterville/Taylor
- Expanding service until 9:30pm on weekdays
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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