CTA Holiday Train: Complete Schedule For Santa On The L

CHICAGO — The CTA Holiday train begun its special seasonal schedule Friday with trips on the Orange and Green lines. For 19 days ahead of Christmas Eve, the six-car train covered in holiday decorations will spread season's greetings along all eight CTA lines.

For the third year, The Holiday Train is accompanied on Saturdays by the Elves' Workshop Train, an additional six-car decorated train that follows the popular holiday train to offer holiday cheer to even more riders on the busiest day of holiday train travel. Saturdays also include photo opportunities with Santa.

According to the CTA, the tradition began in 1992 on the Blue Line. An out-of-service train used to deliver food to local charities carried a "Season's Greetings from the CTA" sign for the trip. In the quarter-century since, the tradition has expanded. Santa now rides a sleigh on an open-air car in the middle of the six-car trains, which are decked out with thousands of multi-colored lights. The interiors are wrapped in holiday imagery, including hand poles wrapped to look like candy canes.

The CTA Holiday Train tradition continues to support local community organizations. This year, employees plan to donate about 500 food baskets, each including all the ingredients for a holiday meal. New features include a red interior floor, additional LED displays and more lights than ever before.

The holiday fleet also includes the CTA Holiday Bus, which starts operating on Nov. 29 and runs until Dec. 23. It will operate with regular service and fares and travel on 16 routes this year.

The 60-foot articulated bus is decorated with "Ralphie the Reindeer" on the exterior – complete with 3D antler and an illuminated red "nose" on its front. The interior decorations include artwork by students at Foster Park Fine & Performing Arts Magnet Cluster School. The rear of the bus is set up as Santa and Mrs. Claus' home. The CTA offers a holiday bus tracker to keep tabs on its current location.

“The Allstate CTA Holiday Train and Bus have become a beloved Chicago tradition that thousands look forward to each winter season,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “We are happy to be able to bring out our Allstate CTA Holiday Fleet to spread the holiday cheer to our valued customers of all ages.”

CTA Holiday Train Schedule

Track the CTA Holiday Train with the CTA Train Tracker »

CTA Holiday Bus Schedule

Tue 11/27

12:45p
NB from Madison/Wabash

Photo Day
Wed 11/28

12:30p
SB from Jefferson Park Blue Line

Photo session:
@ Jefferson Park Blue Line
approx. 3:30p-4:30p

#92 Foster
#91 Austin

Thu 11/29

12:25p
WB as #92 from Berwyn Red Line to Jefferson Park Blue line

1:25p
SB as #91 from Jefferson Park Blue Line

6:45p
EB as #92 from Jefferson Park Blue Line to Berwyn Red Line

#22 Clark

Photo Day
Fri 11/30

12:30p
SB from Howard Terminal (Red/Purple/Yellow lines)

Photo session:
@Howard Terminal
approx: 4p-5p

#22 Clark/
#97 Skokie

Photo Day
Sat 12/1

12:40p
WB as #97 from Howard Terminal to Old Orchard

Photo session:
@Old Orchard
approx: 1:35p-2:30p

3:40p
SB as #22 from Howard Terminal to Harrison/Clark

#66 Chicago

Photo Day
Tue 12/4

12:00p
EB from Chicago/Austin

Photo session:
@ Navy Pier
approx. 4:15p-5:15p

Wed 12/5

12:25p
EB from Chicago/Austin

#126 Jackson

Photo Day
Thu 12/6

1:50p
EB from Jackson/Austin

Photo session:
@ Jackson/Austin
approx. 4:20p-5:20p

#12 Roosevelt

Photo Day
Fri 12/7

1:05p
EB from Harrison/Central

Photo session:
@ Harrison/Central
approx. 3:30p-4:30p

Sat 12/8

1:10p
EB from Harrison/Central

#31 31st

Tue 12/11

2:00p
EB from Ashland Orange Line

2:40p
WB from 33rd Place/Lake Meadow

3:15p
EB from Ashland Orange Line

NOTE: the final trip will depart at 4p from
33rd Place/Lake Meadow to Sox-35th Red Line

#29 State

Photo Day
Wed 12/12

12:50p
NB from 95th Red Line

Photo session:
@ Navy Pier
approx. 5:25p-6:25p

Thu 12/13

12:50p
NB from 95th Red Line

#28 Stony Island

Photo Day
Fri 12/14

1:10p
NB from Olive Harvey College
to 47th/Lake Park

3:05p
NB from Olive Harvey College
to Union Station

Photo session:
@ Union Station
approx. 4:45p-5:45p

#62 Archer

Photo Day
Sat 12/15

12:20p
NB from Midway Orange Line

Photo session:
@ Midway Orange Line
approx. 3:05p-4:05p

Sun 12/16

1:10p
SB from Kinzie/Sate

#49 Western

#X49 Western Exp.

Photo Day
Wed 12/19

12:30p
NB as #49 from 79th/Western

2:30p
SB as #X49 from Berwyn/Western

Photo session:
@ 79th/Western
approx. 4:25p-5:25p

5:40p
NB as #X49 from 79th/Western

7:25p
SB as #49 from Berwyn/Western

#79 79th

Photo Day
Thu 12/20

12:40p
EB from 79th/Western

1:55p
WB from 79th/Lake Front
to Ford City Mall

Photo session:
@ Ford City Mall
approx. 3:25p-4:25p

#3 King Drive

Fri 12/21

12:20p
NB from 95th/Chicago State U.

Photo Day
Sat 12/22

1:45p
SB from Ontario/Fairbanks

Photo session:
@ 95th/Chicago State U.
approx. 3:30p-4:30p

#87 87th

Sun 12/23

12:05p
EB from 88th/Cicero to 91st/Commercial

More: Holiday Train Schedules via CTA »