Chicago's subway system is the fastest and most transparent transportation system in the city.
Most trains run over elevated bridges, including downtown. So you'll also get great views of the Chicago skyline from the subway.
Chicago "L"
To avoid confusion, let's start by explaining that both locals and official CTA materials refer to the Chicago subway as the "L-Trains".
The origin comes from the word „elevated“, meaning elevated just after the bridge structures for the trains downtown.
Fares on the "L-Trains"
Find out how much subway tickets cost in Chicago below.
| Ticket validity | Price |
|---|---|
| Single - 2 hours - Maximum of 3 subway rides |
2,50 usd |
| 1 day (valid for 24 hours) | 5 usd |
| 3 days (valid for 72 hours) | 15 usd |
| Week (valid for 168 hours) | 20 usd |
A single transfer ticket within 2 hours can only be used for the metro system. If you change from metro to buses, you will have to pay a new fare, see info on bus tickets in the Transport chapter.
Day and multi-day passes, on the other hand, are valid for unlimited subway and CTA bus rides.
The official website with current fares can be found here: transitchicago.com/fares.
A special one-time fare of 5 usd applies when traveling from the airport Chicago O'Hare ORD. However, if you purchase a full-day or multi-day pass, this fare will apply from the airport.
Where to buy tickets?
There are three ways to buy metro tickets.
- PAYG (Pay-as-you-go) - paying with your own contactless card (mobile phone/watch) is convenient when using single tickets. There are no daily limits, so you'll pay significantly more than $5 per day for a day pass if you ride more often.
- Ventra Card - a classic chip card purchased from a machine at each subway station. The card is free if you load more than $5 worth of fare on it, and is therefore only worthwhile for all-day and multi-day passes.
- Ventra mobile app - You can purchase a Ventra card through the mobile app to load either any amount or a full day/multi-day fare. The card will be loaded on the mobile phone via NFC technology (as with contactless payment).
How to use the tickets?
Before entering the platform, you go through the turnstile. You just put your Ventra card or your own payment card to the yellow reader and go through the turnstile. You don't need your ticket when you get off.
If you have your own contactless card or Ventra Card loaded on your mobile phone or watch, just attach your mobile/watch to the same yellow reader.
Map and metro lines
Chicago operates a total of 8 subway lines, 7 of which meet in Downtown.
Four of these 7 lines make up the famous Chicago Loop, circuitous route around the entire Downtown area. The other two lines (Blue and Red) traverse Downtown on their own tracks from north to south.
- Blue - runs from the airport O'Hare ORD downtown, then turns west and heads into the Forest Park neighborhood
- Red - the most used route runs along the Chicago waterfront from north to south through Downtown.
- Orange - runs from the airport Midway MDW to downtown, where it travels clockwise around the Chicago Loop and returns
- Green - a busy route connecting the western suburb of Oak Park to Downtown, where it connects to the eastern portion of the Chicago Loop and continues toward the southern suburbs
- Pink - heads from the southwest suburb of Cicero to downtown, where it travels clockwise along the Chicago Loop and returns
- Brown - travels from the northwest suburb of Kimball to downtown, where it travels counterclockwise along the Chicago Loop and returns
- Purple - runs from the far northern suburb of Linden to the northern terminus of the Red Line, where a transfer is possible. However, during the weekday morning and afternoon rush hours, all Purple Line trains run with the Red Line on the same route to downtown, where they run clockwise throughout the Chicago Loop and return
- Yellow - the shortest route connects Howard Station (Red and Purple lines) to the northern suburbs of Skokie
Timetables and Frequencies
Trains on all lines run approximately every 4 to 8 minutes during the day on weekdays, Monday through Friday.
At night and on weekends, the frequency is 10-15 minutes.
The Blue and Red lines operate 24/7.
Other routes operate from approximately 4:00 to 1:30.
For complete schedules for all routes, visit transitchicago.com/schedules.
