Chicago Transit Authority The
Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA, one of three service boards within the
Regional Transportation Authority, operates the second largest public transportation system in the United States (to New York's
Metropolitan Transportation Authority) and covers the City of Chicago and 40 surrounding suburbs. The CTA operates 24 hours a day and, on an average weekday, 1.6 million rides are taken on the CTA. , served by CTA buses, with 3D ad CTA has approximately 2,000 buses that operate over 152 routes and 2,273 route miles (3,658 km). Buses provide about 1 million passenger trips a day and serve more than 12,000 posted bus stops. The city's rapid transit system, known as the "
Chicago 'L'" or variations of 'L', "El", or "el" to Chicagoans, operates 1,190 rapid transit cars along eight routes and of track. CTA trains provide about 745,000 customer trips each day and serve 144 stations in Chicago,
Evanston,
Skokie,
Wilmette,
Rosemont,
Forest Park,
Oak Park, and
Cicero. Chicago is one of the few cities in the United States that provides rapid transit service to two major
airports. From the downtown area, the
Blue Line reaches
O'Hare International Airport in about 40 minutes, while the
Orange Line takes customers to
Midway Airport in about 25 minutes from the
Loop.
Bus services Suburban Pace, another service board within the Regional Transportation Authority, operates a primarily-suburban bus service that also offers some routes into Chicago. Pace came into existence in 1985 under that name, and as an operating agency in 1995. It absorbed routes previously operated by a suburban town (e.g.,
Wilmette Wilbus) or a private company. Suburban operators ran into the same funding problems as those operating inside Chicago and evoked a similar response from area governments. Pace is the regional public sector response to keep local and regional bus service available in the Chicago metro area. With its vast service area, Pace had a weekday daily ridership of 1,195,308 in November 2023.
Intercity Several intercity bus companies offer service to other cities in Illinois and across the United States. Most operate to and from the
Greyhound Lines terminal, located at 630 West Harrison Street (corner of Des Plaines Street).
Greyhound Lines operates the majority of the intercity bus service to and from Chicago, with routes connecting Chicago with Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Atlanta, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington, New York, Detroit, Toronto, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Madison, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Memphis, intermediate points, and connecting with other points beyond. Both
Barons Bus Lines and
Miller Transportation connect Chicago with Fort Wayne and Columbus.
Indian Trails connects Chicago with Kalamazoo, Lansing, Flint, and Bay City.
Burlington Trailways connects Chicago with Rockford, Dubuque, Davenport, Burlington, Des Moines, Omaha, and Denver. Other intercity bus companies use their own separate intercity bus terminals.
Megabus, a subsidiary of Coach USA, departs from a curbside bus stop near Union Station, on Canal Street south of Jackson Boulevard, and connects Chicago with Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Cleveland, Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Omaha, St. Louis, Memphis, Kansas City, intermediate points, and connecting with other points beyond.
Van Galder Bus Company, another subsidiary of Coach USA, departs from a curbside bus stop at Union Station, on Canal Street north of Jackson Boulevard, and connects Chicago with Rockford and Madison. Several bus companies catering to Hispanic passengers connect Chicago with points in Texas, and with connections throughout Mexico. These companies include
El Expreso Bus Company,
Omnibus Express,
Los Paisanos Autobuses,
Tornado Bus Company,
Turimex Internacional, Price 4 Limo.,
National Charter Bus,
Chicago Charter Bus Company and
GOGO Charters.
Rail services Commuter train at Ogilvie Transportation Center
Metra is Chicago's commuter railroad, with eleven lines that serve 200+ stations across Cook County and the five
collar counties. Unlike the 'L' lines, fare pricing is based on zones instead of a flat boarding fee. In addition, being mainly commuter rail service, frequent service is generally only provided during rush hours, although Metra is known for its speed and reliability. There are eleven lines, three of which also have service along additional branch lines: in addition to the main lines, the Metra Electric District has two branches, and the Rock Island District and Union Pacific Northwest have one branch each. Each line connects into one of four different downtown stations:
Union Pacific North,
West, and
Northwest arrive in the
Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center (known more casually as the "North Western Station", its original name under
Chicago and North Western);
Milwaukee District North and
West,
North Central Service,
SouthWest Service,
BNSF Railway, and
Heritage Corridor converge in
Union Station (which is also the nexus of
Amtrak); the
Rock Island District arrives in the
LaSalle Street Station; and the
Metra Electric District arrives in
Millennium Station (formerly Randolph Street Terminal). The Metra Electric District is Chicago's oldest continuing commuter train (1856), and shares the railway with the
South Shore Line, operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District (NICTD), which is a separate but analogous quasi-governmental entity, partially funded by the RTA. The South Shore Line is an
interurban railroad that operates between Chicago and
South Bend,
Indiana. Like the Metra Electric District, it arrives and departs from Millennium Station.
Intercity departs
Union Station.
Amtrak owns and operates
Union Station, the fourth-largest intercity passenger hub in the United States. The station is the focus of many of Amtrak's transcontinental routes. Unlike most of Amtrak's major stations, all trains calling at Union Station either originate or terminate there; passengers coming through Chicago must transfer to another train to reach their destination. It provides connections to Metra and the "L". Before Amtrak's takeover of passenger service in 1971, trains ran out of
Central Station,
Dearborn Station,
LaSalle Street Station and
Chicago and North Western Terminal as well as Union Station.
Chicago Express Loop The
Chicago Express Loop is a proposed high speed rapid transit line connecting the Loop to O'Hare airport.
Tourist trolleys The City of Chicago offered free
tourist trolleys that served the downtown area. The "trolleys" were actually buses painted to look like historical streetcars. They ran every 20 to 30 minutes and served areas popular with tourists that did not have 'L' stations, such as the
Museum Campus,
Navy Pier, and the
Magnificent Mile. The Free Trolley service was permanently discontinued in 2009. The free trolleys should not be confused with the private-sector
Chicago Trolley Company, which offers guided tours and charge fares. They serve different routes but largely the same downtown area. Their vehicles are also buses rather than
real trolleys.
Chicago public transportation statistics The average Chicago commuter spends 86 minutes every day traveling to and from work on public transit. Of public transit riders, 28.% ride for more than 2 hours every day. On average, commuters wait at stops or stations for 15 minutes; 21% of riders wait for over 20 minutes. The average trip is , while 28.% travel over in a single direction. ==Roads and expressways==