CTA Offers Convenient Rides to the 2016 Chicago Auto Show

The CTA’s newest rail station, the wheelchair-accessible Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line station, is located just three blocks from the McCormick Place. Customers can take the Green Line or one of CTA’s bus routes that are providing extra service during all show hours Saturday, Feb. 13, through Sunday, Feb. 21.

CTA is also providing extra service for upcoming events at the United Center.

Customers traveling to and from events are encouraged to purchase fares in advance, which will decrease travel times and avoid long lines at rail station vending machines. Customers can load ahead of time transit value or unlimited ride passes (1-day, 3-day, 7-day and 30-day) to their Ventra farecards at rail stations, online or at nearly 1,300 local retailers.

Rail Service

CTA says that getting to the Chicago Auto Show by train is now even more convenient with the Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line station, which is approximately three blocks west of the venue. Customers traveling on the Red, Brown, Orange and Blue lines can make free transfers to the Green Line at the following locations:

Red and Orange Lines: make a free transfer at Roosevelt and board a 63rd-bound Green Line train to Cermak-McCormick Place.

Blue Line: make a free transfer at Clark/Lake (farecard required) and board a 63rd-bound Green Line train from the Loop Elevated platform.

Brown and Pink Lines: free transfers to 63rd-bound Green Line trains can be made at the Clark/Lake, State/Lake and Adams/Wabash Loop Elevated stations.

Bus Service

CTA’s #3 King Drive and #21 Cermak bus routes provide direct service to McCormick Place.

To accommodate the additional riders heading to and from the show at McCormick Place, the CTA will provide the following additional service:

#3 King Drive: Additional buses will operate between Michigan/Chicago and the McCormick Place approximately every 20 minutes beginning at 5 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays. On weekends, this additional service will be provided beginning at 8 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. (Note: 8 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. on the last Sunday).

“Auto Show Bus”: Special Auto Show buses will operate between the Ogilvie Transportation Center/Union Station and McCormick Place approximately every 12 to 30 minutes on weekdays and every 10 to 30 minutes on weekends beginning at 8 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. On the last Sunday of the event, bus service will be provided beginning 8 a.m. until 8:30 p.m.  

These buses will have either “Auto Show Bus” or “Metra Stations/Via Downtown” in their destination signs depending on the direction of travel.

Auto Show buses start their trips from Ogilvie Transportation Center on Clinton at Madison, making stops south on Clinton and east on Jackson to Wabash. Customers boarding from Union Station can board at the corner of Clinton and Quincy. A stop also will be made on Columbus at 11th Street to serve the Museum Campus. From Columbus and 11th Street, the buses will run express to McCormick Place.