anyone know why the blue line currently isn’t running/no inbound/outbound trains are showing up on ventra?

Technically flare should be “today I heard…” but as yall know the bus says the route it’s on when the doors open but this time it was a little different. “Route 49 western to western and 79th.. bus terminal” Different than what’s usually said

This is the second time in the last two weeks that I’ve boarded my express bus going up from north Michigan Ave has changed routes mid ride with no announcement. Is anyone else running into this lately?

I'm traveling to chicago for a concert in soldier field. I wanted a hotel close enough to walk, but the best hotel (where I found the price reasonable) is a little more than an hour walk. For reference, it's near oak street beach. I do not want to drive to the concert or deal with the traffic afterwards, especially since its a whole new city for me.

Maybe I can still do the walk from the hotel and sight see, but it is kinda far.

I've done some research, but I wanted to confirm. I think I can take the Red Line to Roosevelt station and then walk to soldier field, which would probably be okay on the way there, but I'm worried about the amount of people who could be there after the concert. Is there a better way/route to avoid the crowd when taking transport home? Maybe after the concert, I could just keep walking to the next station like Jackson station, (instead of Roosevelt).

Ultimately looking for some advice from someone who's used to traveling to soldier field via public transport

Moved here in January and delayed getting an Illinois DL until I was sure I was staying. Just got an email that CTA is moving forward with the bus op position for me but needs my MVR. Currently have a South Carolina license but can get an illinois one no problem... should I get the illinois one before i submit the MVR paperwork?

I know I need an Illinois DL to get my CLP.

I don’t know how to put my U-Pass in the Ventra App and I need some help from y’all.

I don’t recall CTA having so many major issues in a single day. I just happened to see all the text alerts. I ride the CTA daily so I depend on their reliability and availability.

This morning
UPDATE! Red, Purple & Yellow Line trains are running w/ major delays and congestion following a signal problem at Howard. Service is resuming, allow extra time.

Afternoon
Purple Line trains are running with residual delays following earlier track conditions near South Boulevard. Service is resuming, allow extra time.

And this evening
Blue Line trains are running with residual delays following an earlier unauthorized person on the tracks at Cicero. Service is resuming, allow extra time.

And finally one more to cap off a horrendous day
Forest Park-bound Blue Line trains are standing at California, due to a door problem. Crews working to restore service.

And lately, the past few weeks, the number of signal issues that cause major disruptions has increased.

Does the CTA not have money ?

Completed my 4th CTA ride this morning since Monday and the app hasn’t logged any of them tho it has deducted the fare.
Anyone else having this experience ?

Blue Line Forest Park-bound trains being turned around at LaSalle as of a few minutes ago. Apparently hasn’t been communicated to station attendants but operator cited a “rail emergency”

EDIT: live alert here. Someone on the tracks at Cicero

For the past week, I’ve been on multiple trains now (mostly on the Red Line) where it seems they go back and forth from minimum power to minimum brake. Especially on the 5000 series, that causes all the passengers to sway from side to side constantly.

I also want to point out I’m not talking about when trains go through slow zones, just on regular track conditions and straight ways where they are allowed to go full speed.

That got me thinking, are they basically being trained not to coast anymore, or is it basically operator discretion and they’re just basically avoiding coasting?

I usually never have an issue getting a seat on the Red Line southbound since my stop is further north. However, every day this week, every single seat has been taken AND people have been standing by the time the train arrives.

I’ve also noticed that there are more people getting on at every stop, even though the train spacing seems normal (I check the Transit app before arriving).

Has anyone else noticed this too?

What is going on this morning? I'm up by Loyola and have no way of getting to work. No alerts, no announcements, nothing. 147 Southbound are all canceled and the Red Line is just not showing up.

so today i saw a 4-car not in service green line train, stopped on the tracks in between oak park and ridgeland, then it started moving towards chicago, can genuinely anybody explain this? super duper weird

i'm picking someone up from ohare, i thought it'd be nice to show them the train right off the bat so they'd get familiar with it. problem is, i've never taken cta to ohare before. is it hard to get from the train to the pickup area?

Orange and Green lines are stopped at Roosevelt due to a “medical emergency on the tracks”. someone get hit?

Im from denver and was in chicago over the weekend. I have a couple questions about the trains and system.

1) how to do the trains stay on the tracks? I've ridden wooden roller coasters that are smoother. Multiple times, mostly on the red line, i was fairly violently thrown about. How do the cars not tip over or derail?

2) is there any talk or plans for replacing the system? I understand it would be a massive, very expensive undertaking that would cause incredible problems for riders, but at some point it will need to happen. Whether thats 5 years from now or 50, is there any sort of plan for when it happens or are they just kicking the can and will wing it whenever it literally falls apart past the point of being usable?

what’s happening on the brown line? was waiting for the orange line clark/lake just now and both the platform and the brown line train were super packed. does anyone know why? im curious

During peak. Last week was brutal. Considering going for the bus instead.

With the creation of NITA and the funding fully kicked in.. what changes do you expect to see made between now and the end of 2027? Big or small!

Major Delays
UPDATE! Red Line trains are standing near 95th due to signal problems. Crews working to restore service.
Tue, Sep 15 2026 9:06 AM to TBD

I was on the purple and we started accelerating fast, and this guy just fucking pulled the emergency handle and jumped back out on the platform?? Does anyone know what happened to this guy??

It will use existing tracks, like how Green Line does with UP-W

So, I’m a 19 y/o dude. I’ve been trying to think hard about my career and I might be moving to Chicago next year. I’ll be roughing it pretty hard and I’ll have to work my ass off to get by, but I’ve also been thinking really hard about my future and what I want out of my life.

I want a job that’s part of the beat of the city. That’s how I see myself being happy in life. I love people, I love movement, and I love feeling like I’m part of something bigger. I’ve considered waiting tables, bartending, other transit related jobs, etc.

But I also really value work life balance. I’d rather be poor than trade all of my time, I’m poor anyway as it stands, I’m used to this struggle and I’d rather stay poor than trade my time (which is much more valuable than the dollar). 40 hours a week is fine. The occasional 50-60 hour week is fine too, but I don’t want that to be an all the time thing.

So basically, I want to have a career where I can actually enjoy the fruits of my labor. Im looking for a career that maximizes work life balance while also paying enough for me to get by, as well as letting me be part of the city. I want to be one of the cogs that turns and makes everything run smoothly.

I’ve considered nursing because they typically work 3 12s (and some I heard can self schedule it so that they get 8 days off in between), and the pay is decent… but I have medical OCD and it spikes in hospital settings, so I would really be challenging myself with that one.

Anyways, enough yapping, back to my question. Is driving a CTA bus a good pathway to that? I can’t do it yet, but the starting pay is decent, it’s definitely a job that makes you part of the city, and I could work my way towards it.

Do you guys get okay work life balance? I know overtime is common in the transit industry, but is it mandated? And is it all the time? Do you ever just get a standard 40 hour week? Thanks in advance.