Chicago Public Transportation
How good is public transit in Chicago?
Chicago actually has a decent public transit system, especially when compared to Los Angeles. Unlike Los Angeles, the Chicago infrastructure survived the auto and rubber boom better than did California. In no small part this is due to the more tightly spaced residential networks connected to the city center. It was easier for Chicago to connect its suburbs to the city center, and interconnect the downtown area, with public transportation than it has been for Los Angeles, especially of late.
Chicago transit authority
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the governing body responsible for the progress of public transportation in Chicago, has made great strides of late with its investment in Chicago rail and improving the quality of its bus networks. They've also invested in various marketing initiatives to encourage people to take public transit. Leading up to the recession, before oil prices plummeted back down, the high cost of gas was helping bring commuters back to public transit from their dependence on cars as a method of transportation.
Chicago's slow zone elimination
The Chicago Transit Authority rail system consists of 224 miles of track. A year ago (October, 2007), up to 22 percent of the rail system was considered a slow zone. Fortunately, thanks to the replacement of wood rail ties and old tie plates with recycled plastic ties, concrete ties, and insulated tie plates, slow zone congestion has been brought down to under 7 percent overall.
Which rail lines are affected by the slow zone elimination program?
The following rail lines are affected and may experience downtimes over weekends and in the middle of the night:
- Blue Line - the O'Hare branch contained up to 62 percent slow zones, which have now been reduced to under 3 percent. A trip to O'Hare that used to take over an hour can now be done in under 3/4 hour.
- Red Line - the North Side Main Line and State Street Subway have been targeted, allowing trains to travel faster and commuters to travel less.
- Brown Line - the Ravenswood branch was targeted, eliminating just under a mile of slow zone.
For more information, visit the slow zone elimination program page on the CTA website.
Chicago Transit Changes in Fares for 2009
The table below summarizes the fare changes for all CTA transit lines, beginning in January, 2009:
| CTA Fare Types | Previous Fare Structure (Effective 1/1/2006) | New Fare Structure (Effective 1/1/2009) |
| Full Fare Transit Card (TC) Bus | $1.75 | $2.00 |
| Full Fare TC Rail | $2.00 | $2.25 |
| Full Fare Chicago Card (CC) Bus | $1.75 | $2.00 |
| Full Fare CC Rail | $1.75 | $2.25 |
| Full Fare Cash (bus only) | $2.00 | $2.25 |
| TC or CC Transfer 1 | $0.25 | $0.25 |
| Chicago Card Bonus 2 | 10% | Eliminated |
| 1-Day Pass5 | $5.00 | $5.75 |
| 2-Day Visitor Pass5 | $9.00 | Eliminated |
| 3-Day Visitor Pass5 | $12.00 | $14.00 |
| 5-Day Visitor Pass5 | $18.00 | Eliminated |
| 7-Day CTA Pass5 | $20.00 | $23.00 |
| 7-Day CTA/Pace Pass5 | $28.00 | |
| Full Fare 30-Day Pass | $75.00 | $86.00 |
| U-Pass 3 | 15% Increase | |
| Reduced Fare 4 TC or CC | $0.85 | Unchanged |
| Reduced Fare Cash (bus only) | $1.00 | Unchanged |
| Reduced Fare TC or CC Transfer | $0.15 | Unchanged |
| Reduced Fare 30-Day Pass | $35.00 | Unchanged |
- Transfer fare allows two additional rides within two hours of the first boarding
- For every $20 purchase of pay-per-use fares, $22 of value is added to the card
- Available through participating universities only; price change effective 2009 Fall Term
- Reduced fares offered to eligible customers only
- Only the 30-Day and the new CTA/Pace 7-Day passes will be valid on Pace beginning January 1, 2009.
Finding your way around Chicago's Public Transportation System
So you've decided to make the trees in your neighborhood a little more happy by using public transit and forgoing your gas guzzler whenever possible. Great :) But what if you have little to no experience using public transit? How to get started? There are several ways to start planning your trip:
- Use Google Transit - you'll be able to get step-by-step transit directions, find transit stops in your area, and view station information and schedules.
- You'll start by entering a start address and a destination address. Then you can select if you're leaving or arriving, as well as a date and time. The result will show you your directions and travel time on foot as well as by Chicago transit. You can use this to plan your whole route in advance.
- Google Transit is constantly expanding its coverage, but for now rest assured that the majority of the central Chicago transit network is covered.
- Chicago's RTA (Regional Transportation Authority) has a trip planner - use it to find schedules and travel times for CTA, Metro, and Pace transit networks.
- The RTA also has a hotline you can call (the Travel Information Center) to get more information and to help you with your travel plans:
- Within Chicago (any area code) dial: 836 - 7000
- Outside Chicago dial: (312) 836-7000
- For TTY dial: (312) 836-4949
- The RTA also has a hotline you can call (the Travel Information Center) to get more information and to help you with your travel plans:
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