This stop is the closest CTA stop to my new home. I have several nearby Metra stations to chose from since there are several in the city toward this end and the CTA on top of that. Although I love Metra (comfort, reliability, QUIET CARS), what the CTA has going for it is ease. I can take this single conveyance from Cumberland to the Loop and walk a block to my workplace, as opposed to when I take Metra. There's a parking garage at Cumberland so you can park and ride. The cost of taking the CTA, even with the much higher parking rate ($6, and Metra only costs $2) is about the same or maybe a couple bucks cheaper. The station is a bit run down. I'm not sure if I'll feel comfortable taking it in a few weeks when the time change happens since the parking garage is dark and the station area itself is under construction and a bit dank as well. But I'm glad to have multiple options for getting to work. read more

See all

Some updating and cleaning is desperately needed. The system is a bit overwhelming and not intuitive for a newbie. A ride from the lot to the airport will run you $5/pp. Had I know k would have hailed a ride share. Best pricing for the parking lot is on various websites so Google around. The city doesn't allow for long term parking for 1 month or more so you'll have to use a 3rd party. Just keep up with the QR or screenshot your confirmation and the lady at the booth knows what to do. read more

The Blue Line is decent. It's a good location to get to O'Hare airport very quickly. I would suggest keeping your valuables out of sight and of course, always hang onto your bags. I've fallen asleep on this line going to and from the city multiple times, but I wouldn't suggest it. There's always the chance of theft. Never witnessed any crime. Sadly, an occasional homeless person solicits for money. Every once in awhile you get a couple homeless people sleeping on the car, but it's a good idea, if you don't have a place to go- a $5 hotel for a couple hours- I get that. All in all, it's a faithful line if you need to get into the city for cheap, and not have to worry about parking. However, make sure to dress warm during the winter; it can get pretty drafty. Prices are amazing! $5 ticket for unlimited/ any line/ 24-hour access. $3 ticket for single/ one way use only Parking Garage: $6 for the first 7 hours $7 for 9 hours $13 for more than that I left my car there overnight one time- I had to pay $36 - a little expensive for that, but beats Chicago parking any day (Usually ~$60-$100 depending on where) The Blue line is pretty faithful, but not too luxurious. It's decent, I like it. read more

Nice convenient place to park and visit the city! $6 for the entire evening. It could use a little bit more lighting at night. read more

Purchase a week long ventra pass and you can go anywhere in this city via public transport. No, I never once felt scared or unsafe on the L but common sense prevails (with a little bit of luck, too). This location was 5 minutes from my hotel, was staffed, clean and safe. Only incident I experienced was a gruff homeless dude asking for cigarettes at about 6am. About a half hour to get to the Loop. read more

CTA completely dysfunctional watch out for new express train and there is of course no signs or notice. Worst service in the US read more

My review is based on Chicago being a major metropolitan city and deserving of a modern updated rail system. Also, this review isn't just for this station but may be applicable overall. Personally I'm surprised by the 4 and 5 star reviews, I guess some people just have really low expectations. First off the good, the trains come fairly often, are usually very fast between stops, and usually basically clean (at least the trains themselves). There are maps, signs, and announcements to help you find your way. This stop does have parking for around $5 to $7 a day, which I personally think should be discounted if you have a monthly pass. Bike racks are available, elevator and escalators are usually working, and cold beverage vending machines are next to the escalator. You'll be able to buy your tickets out of the vending machines onsite, and an ATM (cash station) is available as well. There are also warming lamps in a couple of locations. Here's some of the bad, the warming lamps aren't enough to keep you warm on those cold windy Chicago winter days. In fact there aren't many lamps here, so if it's crowded you're out of luck. There is almost no protection from the wind, unless you wait near the escalator, but no warming lamps are there so it's a trade off. While the lobby walking to the train is sheltered from the wind it's not heated and still gets really cold. The trains are severely outdated and aren't comfortable at all, that is unless you like hard plastic seats and zero elbow room. Well if you don't, too bad because that's what you've got and get comfortable because you'll likely be sharing the traIn with some of Chicago's homeless. Now I'm not saying the homeless shouldn't have a place to go, they should, but isn't that the problem? That this is where they have to go, shouldn't the city be looking to help those in need and get those able back on their feet? I've often seen people spitting on the platform, throwing food, and throwing up. The stains of which are still on the benches and platform, which makes you wonder how well they are cleaned? I'm speaking only of the platform while waiting for the trains, the trains themselves seem to be kept fairly clean. The platform itself also has very limited seating (even if it ever was throughly cleaned), like already stated has no protection from the wind and (with no protection of falling onto the tracks) is dangerous for small kids so hold on to them. Also when it comes to security, there basically isn't any, unless you're at O'Hare or one of the very few spots patrolled , you're on your own. It's the Wild West Chicago style, good luck! Oh sure there are plenty of cameras, so when you're in need no one is there to help but they sure will be able to make you a YouTube star. read more

See all

Stay away from late night rides. And early morning rides. There's a lot of weird people there. Decided to do the park and ride option. Little did we know it was crowded with homeless people asking for change. I have no problem giving change away but when they all attack you it's scary. With all the taxes we pay the city should put some money into getting security in here. read more

Very easy to park and ride wish they had restrooms at entrance also 5 dollars seems expensive for a new transit card read more

CTA - Cumberland - On the train to Cuba game - Train Stations Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Easily one of my favorite CTA stops because of its location and practicality. I pretty much use this station anytime I need to go into the heart of the city but don't want to mess around with parking (in Chicago or the Burbs). It's my go-to for races around Grant Park, Lollapalooza or any shows in The Loop. I believe there is a pay-for-parking lot across the street with a walkway to the Cumberland stop, but I typically park a few blocks away in Park Ridge and walk there. I really don't see a reason to pay for something that I don't have to and the area is quite safe. I've returned from Lollapalooza weekend and walked by myself late at night. I try to be aware of my surroundings, but nothing has ever put me on edge while doing this. Another nice thing is that if I am short on time then I can grab a bite to eat at any of the restaurants nearby or pop into the Dominick's quickly. There are plenty of open benches at Cumberland, so I take a seat, eat and wait for my ride. It doesn't take too long, either. Trains tend to run every 10-15 minutes, so it's very convenient, especially in colder weather. read more

Great train station that can be even better. A lot of office buildings around but would like to see more restaurants and bars to serve the area. The Cumberland train station is a great place to either get to O'hare, the loop, or hop on a bus. read more

See all

Pros: - Runs 24/7 - ~32 Minutes to the Loop - They added another heater couple months ago for the winter. - Lots of Parking ($5 for first 12 hours, $6 for 12-14, so on...then $12 for every 24 hours) - One of the cleanest stops I've been to - No Bums Cons: - Platform is outside - Nice parking spots are taken during business days - $36 if you lose your parking ticket - Lots of cracks and potholes leading into the parking garage read more

You know, it's pretty much like every other Blue line stop, but just a tad bit bigger. It kind of seems cleaner too but that's about as much as I need to say about it. Oh, and that during rush hour times it gets as crowded as the highway except with people instead of cars. read more

I really love this place, and I'm listing all the many reasons why. Nice huge rock in the middle of station entrance (snapped two pics I think of the structure in December) Convenience store inside selling nice items, but open only on weekdays I think. Beautiful corporate office buildings nearby. Nice restaurants within walking distance, and they are Hooters, Outback Steakhouse, and Bennigan's, and a nice little eatery within walking distance from the north side of the station in Park Ridge on Higgins, its name I can't think of. Dominicks, like the last restaurant in the paragraph above, is near here. Get some shopping taken care of. Lots of Pace/CTA buses to transfer to/from the BlueLine. I'll close this out by simply saying: I really love this place! read more

CTA for the win. Used this station for about a week to get to a from a local hotel. You will have a lot of commuters utilizing this train for work. My favorite thing about this station is the friendly warning announcement that a train is arriving. This way if you are still walking up the stairs that lead up the entrance you can hustle to catch your train. Use the escalator when you first get off or walk a littler further and stair master your way to the top. Cumberland is the suburban public transit hub for working professionals. read more

I love taking the blue line! Its 15 minutes from my home (on a good day) and its an easy way to get to the city! Parking is $5 a day and if you stay overnight its about $12ish! Not too shabby! For your ticket, you have to put increments of $5, but the fair is $2.25 per way...and I believe transfers are free. It is a very busy line, so I suggest walking down as far as you can to get to one of the front cars which are usually emptier. read more

Station appeared like most of the CTA stations. Signage was good and consistent. A bit of a walk from the parking garage to the station through a bus terminal. Like most of the system, an update would be good but overall it was just fine. $24 to park for 2 days. read more

Pros: clean Plenty of benches Heaters CTA personnel nearly always present Easy to walk to Safe neighborhood Nice business center Plenty of inexpensive parking Elevators for disabilities/bikes Well lit Cons: walkways get hot and could use some fans/ventilation I take the Cumberland stop into work at O'Hare every morning. It's an easy walk and I always feel safe and welcome. It's up for a refresh this year, so some painting and platform renewal should get done. read more

We take this downtown for holidays. Usually pretty good.

Cumberland is an ideal hop-on point for suburban folks heading into the city. There is a ton of parking, the whole shebang is pretty clearly marked and, while the track is outdoors, there are some heat lamps. It would be ideal if those turn into fans and/or ice buckets in the summer, but right now the people of Chiberia thank you. read more

Parking is tight but only $5. I hate that there is never an Attendant manning the booth. The ticketing machines can be difficult to use for first timers. read more

My old neighborhood "L" stop. Clean with a chance of homeless sightings. All the people are nice. It took me a while to understand what it meant as a child but there is a good "kiss and ride" available for pick-ups and drop-offs. I always feel safe. Outdoors so there is good cell reception but it can be cold. read more

One star for the parking attendant people at the Cumberland garage. They are just nasty. Maybe they don't treat their employees right.

This station seems to be dirtier than some of the other ones. I know the CTA doesn't exactly have high standards but some things should be addressed regardless. There is no corporate pride present. Other than that I've always liked the experience of the El. read more

This is the Blue line station that I use. Its clean big and safe. I never ran into any problems here.

My father and I decided to take a trip downtown on the "L", one of Chicago's many choices for public transportation. The Blue Line is one of eight rail lines on the "L". These different lines provide rapid transport from Chicago's suburbs into the city, and even around the city. We wanted to go to Union Station to see some of the sights and trains there. We also wanted to go to Willis (formerly known as Sears) Tower, to check on the transmitter room that his company owns. To my convenience, all I had to do go to the Maps app on my phone, and I had instructions as soon as I typed in the destination! My iPhone instructed me to walk about half a mile to the nearest "L" stop, Cumberland. For the most part, the station was clean. It did not have a stench of urine, as some stations do. At first sight, we could already see where we had to buy our tickets. The fare was $2.25 along with a 25￠transfer fee and a 50¢ limited-use media fee. Do the math, and that's $6 for 2 people. Pretty good, considering that we were going from a suburb to deep downtown. We bought our tickets and entered the turnstile. There were clear instructions on where to go. We went down the escalator that said "Down to trains". There were signs pointing to what direction the train was going (O'Hare or Forest Park). Since we were going towards the loop, we had to get on a train headed towards Forest Park. All of the sudden, we heard a ding. "A train heading towards the loop is arriving shortly." We get on the platform. The train arrives. Fast forward 19 stops, and we arrive at the Clinton stop. We thought we were going to have to use Maps to get to Union Station, but we were wrong. There was signs that instructed us to walk two blocks north, and then we would arrive. One of the two negative things happened as we were walking up the stairs. As we were walking up the stairs, two homeless men approached us and begged for money. This is normal considering our location, but nobody likes it. You also have to consider that is was 9:30pm. So we do our activities downtown, and we need to figure out a plan to get home. As usual, I pull up my Maps app on my iPhone, and it tells me that I need to walk 3 blocks to the Monroe subway station. Monroe was where the second negativity happened. As soon as we stepped a foot down those stairs, the smell of urine traveled up our noses. As soon as we got on the subway, it stopped. There was this drunk male acting as he was the conductor, even though they stopped using conductors in the late 90s. Whenever the "doors closing" voiceover would sound, he would shout "DOORS CLOSING PEOPLE!", so it made for a pretty interesting ride home. As we rode home through the subway, I noticed a performance center. There was actually somebody performing on it. A magical 19 stops later, we arrive where we started, Cumberland. I took some pictures until a CTA employee came up to me and said photography was not allowed. I knew it was, especially since I had a handheld point-and-shoot, but I just went with it anyway. Overall, I recommend the CTA to any Chicago resident looking to have a little fun with getting around places. This was a very easy trip to navigate and my father and I had a blast. 4/5 stars for the 2 negative parts. read more

I have been using this station all of my life as I live only a couple miles south of it by Cumberland/Irving Park Rd. While the station itself is nice and in decent repair, I am forced to give it 1 star as my experiences in its parking garage over the last 5 to maybe 10 yrs has limited me in finding work Downtown. Why you ask? Because I lost count after maybe 20, yeah not lying here 20!, as in the number of times my car was either hit, vandalized, damaged or otherwise broken into while parked there over a work day. And I mean I would park on level 3 far back in a corner yet someone still hit and took off my side mirrors on too many occasions or else my car was damaged in some way. And this is not taking into account how much my car was used as a urinal by bums that inhabit that garage like a previous posted mentioned. The parking garage management have never helped me with anything in these incidents either; whether it's been contacting police to taking statements or photos of my damaged car. Therefore, I do not use the parking garage anymore and just take the 331 pace bus there instead. read more