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    Chicago Transit Authority

    2.7 (411 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

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    Matthew S.

    I refuse to compare the Chicago "L" to the New York City subway. I will not. To do that is literally comparing an apple to an orange and that simply is not fair. What I will do is praise the heck out of this system. It is clean, safe, reliable, and extensive. Those are my only similarities between the "L" and the subway. After that, things vary, and not just because most of the system is above ground, hence the "L" nickname. I found most people on the trains respectful. Not many panhandlers, and the rule about no bikes on the trains during peak hours is strictly enforced. I was on a train where a cyclist tried boarding with a bike and the motorman announced "No bikes during rush hour." To enforce this, the train would not move until the cyclist disembarked. That would never happen in New York City. Once you get the hang of it, navigating around the Loop is rather easy and fun. There are plenty of lines to pick from, and they all pretty much get you where you need to go downtown. Once they branch off the loop, some of the lines run express outside downtown, making it even easier to get around. From a railfans' perspective, it is an absolute delight. I found a parking garage that overlooks Tower 18 and you could easily spend several hours watching trains traverse this intersection. It is like watching vehicle traffic as trains stop to allow other trains to pass by or merge onto another track. Sometimes you can see up to four trains come together! It felt like a model train display being brought to life. I could also talk about METRA, but that is for another review.

    Train ticket
    Bee W.

    Took the train from Midway airport to downtown Chicago. The station is a ground level station and on the Orange Line. There is indoor and sheltered bike parking available. This is also a bus stop. The $10 1-day CTA fare pass is affordable and you get to ride as many times as you want in a day. The ticket machines are easy to operate and if you take your time and follow the instructions it is not complicated. I had a little trouble with entering the terminal as I didn't see the sign change on the display on the turnstile. So I had to be let in by the agent. I'm a hot mess. The train was already waiting so we got on board. There are maps on the top so you can see the different stations and find the one you need. The ride was smooth for the most part and it was not crowded both times we rode. The train is on a platform downtown and it was strange to ride between buildings and be able to look into someone's room since we were so close. It feels like the buildings press against the train. When we got out, we made our way through the turnstile and down to the street. On the return, we found a station and took the stairs up and went through the turnstiles. There are elevators if you need. And the signage tells you which side of the platform you need to be on depending on your route. It's actually pretty easy compared to other train systems I've ridden on. They announce the stations where you can transfer to another line at so that's convenient.

    Skinny escalator with the long ascent at the Clybourn North station - The image shows a long, narrow escalator with visible signs of dirt and wear on the steps, located in an indoor transit station. The escalator is flanked by metallic handrails and white tiled walls. A person is seen walking up the adjacent staircase in the background, wearing a blue shirt and carrying a bag. The setting appears to be a public transportation facility, likely a subway or metro station.
    Mark D.

    CTA exceeds my expectations. They're not perfect, but no transit system is. Here's what I like: Drivers and staff are friendly and helpful. They might be direct and talk loudly to be heard, but they are helping you with good intentions. I've had overwhelmingly great experiences with almost everyone. The system has a long history and the routes have worked themselves out mostly well. Things tend to run often. There's at least one rock band named after them. (Chicago, formerly Chicago Transit Authority, which was too long for rock and rollers, who were into the whole brevity thing) What I don't like: Random and unexplained delays, too often. Train cars aren't patrolled. People will beg for money, sometimes aggressively. Other situations might arise where you're on your own. In summary, quit driving and start bussing and training. Not training... L-ing, I mean.. Or uhh, take the train, that is!

    Stickers covering glass in CTA Halsted Station. Cannot see through it. Need to be removed so people know when buses are here.
    Larissa R.

    The CTA can do a better job at not succumbing to the mandates given by whom ever regarding the mask mandates. I have also been to the 79th train station recently and it looked as if the tracks hadn't been cleaned in months. So let's keep the tracks clean. Also, it's literally a snow day on 1/24/2022 and the Wallace bus normally sits at the stop for a few minutes and today they decided not to wait. They also did not take initiative to get the fallen crossing signs fixed by IDOT for the customers crossing from the other side of the street. There's a lot of room for improvement. Still grateful that he city has the public transportation we have, just gotta make sure we don't spend billions on one train stop (Washington and Wabash) and forget about everything else that needs to be taken care of. 9:54am update: spoke to Randall in CTA customer service and seems as though he was bothered I had complaints about CTA. He ignored some things I mentioned and also interrupted me while in the middle of speaking. Also, the cover stickers on the glass windows in the orange line halsted station need to be removed so customers can clearly see when the buses are arriving.

    Got on bus 155 today on a Sunday with my small daughter Bus driver started to cus at some women who couldn't speak English when I stuck up for the poor women he started cussing at me and is fighting problems in front of my six year old daughter not to mention bus was 45 minutes late

    Coincidentally right now I have an MT A

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    Has the CTA Forgotten about the service on the Sundays Cumberland Line, it is like a ghost town waiting for bus service .

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    I am taking the #82 bus today. The bus driver is very nice, He gave me a very warm feeling in the heavy snow morning.

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    Page 1 of 11

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    Review Highlights - Chicago Transit Authority

    The only negative experience I had was.................only transferring to the Red line going towards 95th which you really need to be careful.

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    Ogilvie Transportation Center

    Ogilvie Transportation Center

    (186 reviews)

    West Loop, Near West Side

    Why oh why does the sign on the Madison St entrance of this building say "Accenture Tower" when…read moreit's really just the retail front of Ogilvie Transportation Center?! That confused me so much the first time I came here that I went across the street to Union Station by mistake thinking I had gone to the wrong place, and I missed my train. Please make better signage indicating that this entrance is also for the train station, as Google maps is getting less and less accurate (it put the marker in the middle of the intersection between the two stations). Other than that, the station is fine. Plenty of ticket machines and display screens showing the train schedules. There are escalators up to the track area for disability access as an option besides stairs. Just expect a huge line for the bathrooms. The retail shops and food items are price gouging to the extreme, like an airport would be.

    Last week was my first time taking a train into the city while visiting Great Lakes. I was…read moretraveling alone and a little nervous about getting into the city and unsure about the area that the Ogilvie Transportation Center is in. Reviews made it seem like a confusing place to navigate. I boarded the Union Pacific North Train Kine from Great Lakes just outside of the Navy Training Center. I purchased my ticket on the Ventra App and I boarded the train and took a seat. There were several stops along the way and the Ogilvie Transportation Center was the last stop. The Conductor visited the car I was riding in just a couple of stops before ending at Ogilvie to check and/or sell tickets. The Conductor was polite and patient. When I exited the train at Ogilvie, I just followed the crowd to the stairway into the station and then just chose to exit the building at the Canal Street exit whit turned out to be just perfect for starting my journey into Chicago for the day. At the end of the day, when I returned to Ogilvie, it took me a few minutes to figure out the train schedule and locate the right stairways onto the loading platform. They have large screens at each loading platform stairway entrance that shows where each train travels to and what time they leave. There are stairways on each side of the train station to get you to the train. One important thing to note is that for some stops, the first cars of the train, the doors do not open. So it's best to find a seat towards the back cars or make plans to walk through a couple of cars quickly to get to the exit doors that open. The Ogilvie Transportation Center was easier to navigate than I had thought.

    Chicago Union Station - Union Station

    Chicago Union Station

    (505 reviews)

    West Loop, Near West Side

    Union Station has some very beautiful areas that make you feel like you're taking a step back in…read moretime! They do a lot of work to keep it that way in both the interior and exterior. Some of of the waiting areas feel luxurious; if you have a while to wait it's certainly not gloomy! It's definitely a large, busy station with people coming and going so if you haven't navigated it before it's wise to get familiar with the building. There are some nice food options so it's nice to relax with a Jamba Juice. Kind, efficient staff. The Amtrak trains at Union Station have always been very reliable and there's just something so charming about traveling by train! When I went to college in downtown Chicago, I'd take the Hiawatha train back to Milwaukee every weekend and it was always a great experience. The key is definitely picking the train times that it's not going to be a zoo of foot traffic inside. Consider taking the train for a unique experience and enjoying a walk around a beautiful building with a lot of history!

    I was very impressed with Chicago Union Station physical facilities and amenities for the train…read moretravelers. The only drawback was the lack of a check in rental car office/delivery and drop off station inside the terminal for arrivals and departures. Lack of integration of a rental car facilities makes travel with luggage a problem. To rate the 5 stars I suggest 2 improvements: 1) the addition of an option for rental Avis, Hertz or Budget in there to enhance the terminal experience 2) and better identification of mass bus transportation options upon arrival.

    Metra Milwaukee District / West MD-W - Metra train not very clean!

    Metra Milwaukee District / West MD-W

    (4 reviews)

    West Loop, Near West Side

    I had the pleasure of riding the MD-W for about two weeks leading up to the new year and a few…read moreother times I needed to get downtown. It was typically on time (I think the latest was 10 minutes) and the ride lasted about 45-60 minutes to and from the Metra Medinah Station. I was lucky enough to be working a temp job that pretty much let me much waltz into and out of the office whenever I felt like it, within reason. Therefore, I was very appreciative that their trains run about every 30 minutes in the morning and afternoon, and even happier that many of them run express to Franklin Park. The rest of the commuter trains came hourly during the day and every two hours in the evening. The later trains came in handy when I decided to stay in the city after work to go to the Christkindlmarket in December and on the weekend when I met up with my running group for an event at a local bar. Milwaukee District / West Line (MD-W) goes from Union Station's North Concourse out to Big Timber Road / Elgin. It's great for commuters who need to get into the heart of the city and especially helpful if you need to use it to connect to other forms of transportation such as Amtrak trains, Greyhound buses, Megabus, or CTA buses and L trains. Another bonus is that the station is underground, so you can stay out of the elements for most of these exchanges.

    The Hanover Park station (the fourth stop on the line after Big Timber, Elgin, and Bartlett) is my…read morehometown's train station, and it's had a major makeover in the last few years. Luckily, on a cold, fall day we were able to wait for our train inside the station, although the bathrooms are locked. This seems pretty standard for any train station when a ticket agent isn't present. Most of the stations seem well-maintained. I've never had any major hiccups on this rail line. Trains run frequently enough during the day and on weekends, so it's easy to ride the Metra whether you are going to work, school, or just scheduling a fun day in Chicago. The Milwaukee District West trains feed into Union Station, as does the BNSF rail line. Some stops are skipped periodically on rush hour trains (or altogether on weekends), so make sure you check the schedule if you aren't using one of the major stops.

    OurBus - Chicago

    OurBus - Chicago

    (4 reviews)

    The Loop

    absolutely horrible experience. we booked and paid for a large enough bus to fit 60 passengers…read more they showed up with a bus with a capacity of only 39. told us they refused to take the extra passengers and have refused to refund us the difference. they are currently being investigated by fraud by a major credit card company due to this. our friends had to uber 2.5 hours because there was not enough room on the bus that we paid for. company also refused to compensate us for the ubers. absolutely ridiculous and wouldnt even recommend this company to my worst enemy.

    DO NOT TRUST OR USE OURBUS!…read more I booked a trip from Chicago to Indy after visiting their website and reading their standards of service (only "State of the Art Coaches"). I bought my ticket, and was guaranteed a seat on a bus with restroom, wi-fi and reclining seats. With less than 24-hours notice (not enough time to cancel without penalty), they changed the bus to a 24-seat passenger van with no restroom, no wi-fi, no reclining seats, and was told that passengers could feel free to ask the driver to stop for bathroom breaks. Their customer service line disconnected each of the four times I tried to speak to someone, and they refused me any refund (they eventually offered me a credit, as though I would have any reason to trust them in the future!) Oh--and just before the bus was to arrive, they texted that they were running late, and that the expected journey could take more than an hour longer! Don't waste your time with OurBus. I ended up using a much better service, with great buses, much lower price, and excellent customer service--FLIXBUS. I am currently disputing my charge with OurBus; I'll post further about their actions.

    Metra - Union Station - Conductor killed my card even though only 9 rides were used. Made me pay cash.

    Metra - Union Station

    (9 reviews)

    West Loop, Near West Side

    I took the Metra trains three times in the last week. One from downtown Union Station Chicago to…read more BigTimber and two trains from Ogilvie Transportation Center to Kenosha. and another one to Evanston, IL. It was 90 degree and the AC was not working at all. I thought I was going to die in there. Let me just say how disgusted I was with the bathrooms. One was not working and was closed. Another had the toilet filled with feces and toilet paper with no running water. I went to another car and that too was filled with feces and toilet paper. Absolute disgusting. I think cattle are moved in cleaner sanitary conditions. No posted sign, no attempts to clean it out, nothing. On one train when I was getting off, I asked the conductor if that train was going to Evanston and he replied, "I am off now", kinda like I don't care. In a world class city like Chicago, you expect a little better than this. Please also tell the conductors to talk to people appropriately, "Please have your tickets out" as opposed to "have your tickets out in a nasty way". I thought I was an inmate in jail, not a paying customer on Metra. For the record, I would not upload pics of your feces. Don't get me wrong, for the price you cannot beat the money and time. I am sure an Uber would costs me the price of a kidney to Kenosha, but still. If you need to use the bathroom, PLEASE use it at the main stations or pray to God you have a super strong stomach. I saw about 8 people try to use the washroom that was disgusting and none of them used it. So trust me, it was not just me.

    They want you to take public transportation and here we sit because of switch failure not five or…read moreten minutes but an hour ... so ridiculous and this is getting to be a common occurrence wish we had other transportation friggin monopoly on public transport in this city NCS line is HORRIBLE

    Amtrak - Lounge car

    Amtrak

    (369 reviews)

    West Loop, Near West Side

    I have road the Hiawatha train in the past and was not the greatest experience. However, Amtrak…read morehas modified some of the rail lines and had introduced the Borealis line which runs between Chicago and Milwaukee every couple of hours with a very reasonable rate. The trip takes about 90 minutes with four stops (I believe). The website/app is very user friendly to reserve the trip to Milwaukee and then back to Chicago. Since we departed Chicago, we were able to grab couple of seats. It seemed the train was on the newer side with very comfortable seats. The train conductors were professional while friendly doing their job. Overall, I would recommend the Boralis Line between these two cities.

    We bought a ticket from Glenview to Minnesota. The first hour we were on the train there was no…read moreseats for us, even though we paid for a seat. The conductor assured us there would be seats eventually Once we did sit down, it was almost impossible to sit together for a seven hour train ride. A nice gentleman that was swinging right out a bottle of Smirnoff The whole trip did eventually give us his seat. Then proceeded to try to talk to us and have us drink right from his bottle. The train was dirty and also an hour late. When I called customer service from the train they said the train is not oversold. They just sold more seats than people. That sounds the same to me. While we were standing on our way to Milwaukee, I called customer service and was told once I arrive. I may call for a refund . I did call for a refund once I did arrive that was not successful. I sent an email and chatted online with somebody. I was told I had to call before the train arrived at the station to get my money back l. I explained that I had called while I was on the train. I started a ticket with customer service and I have not heard from them in over a week and a . Overall, I would not recommend taking the train. They kept trying to give me a voucher. I explained the train is not for me and I would never go on again. They kept offering a bigger and bigger voucher I just wanted my money back Overall, driving is better

    Chicago Transit Authority - publictransport - Updated May 2026

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