If you think you see Santa and his reindeer flying by in Chicago you’re not losing your mind. The CTA Holiday Train is back!
The Holiday Train is an annual holiday tradition that shares joy and candy canes whether you’ve been naughty OR nice. It’s a moving, literally, celebration of the holidays and runs Tuesdays through Saturdays throughout Chicago.
Inside, the cars are decorated with lights and bows and garland and the poles look like candy canes (just don’t eat those). Outside, the train is lit up with even more lights, and Santa and his reindeer welcome riders while elves pass out real candy canes (these you can eat).
Santa himself will even hand out candy canes to good girls and boys, so mind your transit p’s & q’s. On Saturdays the Elves’ Workshop Train will follow Santa to make sure even more people can join in the fun.
These trains do more than spread good cheer. They also deliver food baskets to charitable agencies. In fact, that’s how this Chicago Christmas tradition got its start.
In 1992, an out-of-service train delivered food to various charities, and someone put a “Seasons Greetings from the CTA” on the front. That spirit took hold and grew until we have the festive celebration that the CTA Holiday Train is today.
Where do these food baskets come from? CTA employees donate their time, and their money, and purchase groceries. They then assemble them in baskets to donate to those in need. They’ve done this for decades, and in 2018 donated about 500 baskets.
The Holiday Train generally runs Tuesdays through Fridays from 3pm to 7pm and Saturdays from around 1pm to about 8pm. The train usually begins service the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs until the Friday before Christmas. We’ll post the full schedule when it’s available.
Below is the schedule so you can find out when it will be over the river and in your neck of the woods. Be sure to check the CTA’s website for tips on getting the most out of this holiday tradition.
Allstate CTA Holiday Train schedule
| 2019 Allstate CTA Holiday Train scheduleClick the dates below to see full details. | |
| Green Line & Orange Line | Fri 11/29 |
| Green Line | Sat 11/30 |
| Green Line & Orange Line | Tue 12/3 |
| Orange Line & Brown Line | Wed 12/4 |
| Orange Line & Brown Line | Thu 12/5 |
| Orange Line & Brown Line | Fri 12/6 |
| Orange Line & Brown Line | Sat 12/7 |
| Pink Line | Tue 12/10 |
| Pink Line | Wed 12/11 |
| Blue Line | Thu 12/12 |
| Blue Line | Fri 12/13 |
| Blue Line (+ photo-only stop on Pink Line) | Sat 12/14 |
| Red Line | Tue 12/17 |
| Purple Line | Wed 12/18 |
| Red Line | Thu 12/19 |
| Purple Line | Fri 12/20 |
| Red Line & Purple Line | Sat 12/21 |
| Yellow Line | Fri 12/23 |
2019 Allstate CTA Holiday Bus Schedule
The bus will travel multiple CTA bus routes throughout the city between late November and late December, as part of regular service. Normal CTA fares apply. The bus will generally operate from early afternoon through early evening on select weekdays and weekends (schedules for each route will vary), and will serve all posted stops along the respective routes.
We strongly encourage you to use the holiday bus tracker to track the whereabouts of Ralphie and Santa along the scheduled route. This information will only be available while the bus is in service on the dates and times listed below.
NOTE: schedule times are approximate and subject to change.
| Route | Date in service | Departure times |
| #56 Milwaukee | Tue 11/26 | 12:28p NB from Madison/Wabash |
| Wed 11/27 | 1:15 SB from Jefferson Park Blue Line Photo session: @ Jefferson Park Blue Line approx. 4:20p-5:20p | |
| #22 Clark/ #97 Skokie | Fri 11/29 | 12:38p WB as #97 from Howard Terminal to Old Orchard Photo session: @Old Orchard approx: 1:35p-2:30p 2:46p EB from Old Orchard3:55p SB as #22 from Howard Terminal to Harrison/Clark |
| #22 Clark | Sat 11/30 | 12:30p SB from Howard Terminal (Red/Purple/Yellow lines) Photo session: @Howard Terminal approx: 4:10p-5:05p |
| #92 Foster #91 Austin | Sun 12/1 | 12:13p WB as #92 from Berwyn Red Line to Jefferson Park Blue line1:05p SB as #91 from Jefferson Park Blue Line5:40p EB as #92 from Jefferson Park Blue Line to Berwyn Red Line |
| #66 Chicago | Tue 12/3 | 12:04p EB from Chicago/Austin Photo session: @ Navy Pier approx. 4:15p-5:15p |
| Wed 12/4 | 12:24p EB from Chicago/Austin | |
| #126 Jackson | Thu 12/5 | 1:00p EB from Jackson/Austin |
| #12 Roosevelt | Fri 12/6 | 1:40p EB from Harrison/Central Photo session: @ Harrison/Central approx. 4:10p-5:10p |
| Sat 12/7 | 1:10p EB from Harrison/Central | |
| #62 Archer | Wed 12/11 | 12:40p SB from Kinzie/Sate |
| Thu 12/12 | 1:10p NB from Midway Orange Line Photo session: @ Midway Orange Line approx. 4:05p-5:05p | |
| #49 Western#X49 Western Exp. | Fri 12/13 | 12:39p NB as #49 from 79th/Western2:30p SB as #X49 from Berwyn/Western Photo session: @ 79th/Western approx. 4:25p-5:40p 5:50p NB as #X49 from 79th/Western7:40p SB as #49 from Berwyn/Western |
| #79 79th | Sat 12/14 | 12:44p EB from 79th/Western1:55p WB from 79th/Lake Front to Ford City Mall Photo session: @ Ford City Mall approx. 3:25p-4:25p |
| #3 King Drive | Wed 12/18 | 1:35p SB from Ontario/Fairbanks Photo session: @ 95th/Chicago State U. approx. 3:20p-4:20p |
| Thu 12/19 | 12:20p NB from 95th/Chicago State U. | |
| #28 Stony Island | Fri 12/20 | 1:10p NB from Olive Harvey College to 47th/Lake Park3:08p NB from Olive Harvey College to Union Station Photo session: @ Union Station approx. 4:45p-5:45p |
| #29 State | Sat 12/21 | 12:03p NB from 95th Red Line Photo session: @ Navy Pier approx. 4:15p-5:15p |
| Sun 12/22 | 12:30p NB from 95th Red Line | |
| #J14 Jeffrey Jump | Mon 12/23 | 11:17a NB from 103rd/Stony Island |
Photo courtesy CTA.
