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Airport transit

Trains from Chicago O'Hare and Midway Airports

The ‘L’ is the easiest way into and around town!

Transit is the easiest way to get to Chicago airports; there’s no need to pay for parking or taxis when you ride with CTA.

We provide ‘L’ (train) service directly to both O'Hare and Midway airports. Machines at the station issue new Ventra Cards or load fare or passes onto cards.

On this page…

See also:

 

Paying your fare

You've got three easy options once you get to the station:

  1. You can buy a Ventra Ticket that's good on CTA—airport station ticket options include:
    • Single-Ride CTA Tickets (includes 2 transfers to bus and/or another train ride within two hours) 
    • 1-Day CTA Tickets (good for unlimited rides for one person for 24 hours)
    • 3-Day CTA Tickets (good for unlimited rides for one person for 72 hours)
  2. You can buy a Ventra Card with money loaded to cover fare for up to seven people, or any pass you like.
  3. If you Apple Pay, Android Pay or Samsung Pay set up or have a contactless bankcard (with the Contactless payment wave symbol) and don't need a transfer, you can go straight to the gates and touch your card there. See Fare Info for more information on PAYG fares. 

All vending machines take cash, coins, credit or debit.

See Fares for detailed fare information. See How-To Guides for detailed information on paying with farecards and riding the train.

 

Weighing your transport options?

Here’s a quick chart to help you decide how to go:

Mode
Cost between
O’Hare & downtown
Travel time:
O’Hare to downtown
Cost:
Midway to downtown
Travel time:
Midway to downtown
CTA trains
$5 or less*
45 min
$2.50 or less*
25 min
Taxi
around $40
25-90 min
around $25
15-40 min
Shuttle Van Services
over $25
25-90 min
over $15
15-40 min
Rideshare (Uber, Lyft, etc.) around $35-50 (surges to $140 or more) 25-90 min around $25-40 (surges to $100 or more) 15-40 min

*You can save even more by getting an unlimited ride pass, where, for a flat rate, you can ride as many CTA trains and buses as you like! Some riders also qualify for reduced fares. See Fare Information or Passes for more details!

The numbers above are based on current CTA fares and price estimations based on online rate quotes for leading services and actual price observations. Cost estimations for taxi, rideshare and shuttle services do not include gratuity. Travel times shown are estimated for all modes based on common conditions.

 

 

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Blue Line iconService to Chicago-O'Hare International Airport (ORD)

The CTA Blue Line provides service directly into O'Hare Airport.

The accessible O’Hare station is situated in the lower level concourse, which connects direclty to Terminals 1, 2 and 3, and can be conveniently accessed from Terminal 5 via a free, airport shuttle train.

About the CTA Blue Line

Blue Line trains run 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and all trains from the O’Hare station go through downtown on their way to Forest Park (or, during some hours, UIC-Halsted).

The normal travel time on the Blue Line from O'Hare to downtown, is 40-45 minutes.

A free transfer is available to connecting CTA train lines at designated stations. See the Blue Line Route Guide or Maps for connection information.

To make a paid transfer, such as to a bus route, you’ll need a Ventra Card or Ventra Ticket with fare or a pass, or to pay with a personal contactless bankcard (onto which you can load fare or passes at machines).

 


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Orange Line iconService to Chicago-Midway International Airport (MDW)

The CTA Orange Line provides service directly to Midway Airport.

The accessible Midway station is just east of the airport terminal building with a direct, enclosed walking connection to/from the airline terminal.

About the CTA Orange Line ‘L’

Orange Line train service operates from Midway (on the southwest side of Chicago) to downtown via elevated tracks. All trains from the Midway station go to the downtown Loop.

The normal travel time to downtown from Midway is 20-25 minutes.

Service operates all day, every day, except during overnight hours (roughly 1 am to 4am) or after 11 pm on Sundays. Alternate overnight (“owl”) service is available via the N62 Archer bus.

A free transfer is available to connecting CTA train lines at designated stations. See the Orange Line Route Guide or Maps for connection information.

To make a paid transfer, such as to a bus route, you’ll need a Ventra Card or Ventra Ticket with fare or a pass, or to pay with a personal contactless bankcard (onto which you can load fare or passes at machines).

System status snapshot
‘L’ route status
Brown Line
Normal Service
Green Line
Normal Service
Orange Line
Normal Service
Pink Line
Normal Service
Purple Line
Normal Service
Yellow Line
Normal Service
Bus routes w/alerts
Elevator alerts