Next month I'm arriving into O'hare from a redeye and need to get to Union Station (for the California Zephyr which I am completely stoked for), with Metra or CTA the preferred option. I am travelling with one other person, and I think both of us will have a carry-on and maybe one backpack. Is luggage easier to handle on the Blue Line or Metra? I'm currently leaning towards taking Metra in, but I'm very unfamiliar with Gallery Cars. They seem pretty cramped, but the CTA doesn't look so spacious either. Any recommendations?
Getting from O'Hare to Union Station
- Thread starter Cal
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PeeweeTM
Lead Service Attendant
- Joined
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I've done Metra to/from O'Hare Transfer a couple of times when the timing was right.
The cars are a bit cramped, but we've done it with our family of five with bagage before.
But CTA has far more trains running between the airport and the city center.
Both are easy to do with a bit of luggage.
The cars are a bit cramped, but we've done it with our family of five with bagage before.
But CTA has far more trains running between the airport and the city center.
Both are easy to do with a bit of luggage.
If your budget allows, there are shuttle van companies at O'hare that offer transportation to downtown hotels and Union Station. While obviously not as cheap as transit, they're a relative bargain compared to taxi/Uber/Lyft and superior to transit during rush hours and after dark.
caravanman
Engineer
In my experience, it was a simple matter to grab CTA Blue line at O'Hare, and alight at Clinton. Not so great if you have a mass of suitcases, but easy enough otherwise. Riding "The El" was always an enjoyable rite of passage for me, arriving in Chicago.
If your trip is between Aug. 12 & 30, Metra will be running hourly service to and from O'Hare 7 days a week during that period for the Democratic National Convention. The usual service is 7 round-trips weekdays only.
The Blue Line runs more often and the station is in the middle of the terminal complex vs. the Metra station at the end of the airport tram. But it's slower, less reliable since Covid, and, unless you buy a CTA pass before getting on the Blue Line, slightly more expensive, $5 (O'Hare Blue Line station only) vs. $3.75 for Metra.
Metra cars also are more comfortable than L cars, have on board washrooms, and usually have more open space where you could put luggage.
Also, I don't know if the situation has improved, but the L became infamous after Covid for smoking, while Metra conductors walk the train periodically to collect fares so people don't pull that kind of stunt there.
The Blue Line runs more often and the station is in the middle of the terminal complex vs. the Metra station at the end of the airport tram. But it's slower, less reliable since Covid, and, unless you buy a CTA pass before getting on the Blue Line, slightly more expensive, $5 (O'Hare Blue Line station only) vs. $3.75 for Metra.
Metra cars also are more comfortable than L cars, have on board washrooms, and usually have more open space where you could put luggage.
Also, I don't know if the situation has improved, but the L became infamous after Covid for smoking, while Metra conductors walk the train periodically to collect fares so people don't pull that kind of stunt there.
Thank you for all the replies! You've been very helpful.
Where did you put the luggage? We definitely won't have as much as you, so should be fine.
NorthShore
Conductor
Ridership is WAY up (though, statistically, still struggling versus pre-pandemic) during most day parts on CTA and Blue Line, specifically. As such, I'd assess that most days/times service between O'Hare and downtown is pretty reliable again (Sundays are sometimes short staffed) and the smoking issues are, generally, confined to late night/overnight. That isn't to say you won't encounter this at all, but the situation is nothing like it was in the worst couple years of the pandemic.
It should also be pointed out that the Blue Line and all the L trains have level boarding from the platforms, whereas Metra's gallery cars require climbing several steps up from the platform into the car.
I've done both, but unless the Metra schedule works just right, I'd probably prefer to take the Blue Line to Clinton, even though the stairs from the mezzanine to the street are a pain in the neck with luggage.
Another alternative is to fly into Midway, and take the Orange Line and get off at Quincy, which has an elevator to the street and is a short walk up Jackson Blvd. to the station.
Devil's Advocate
⠀⠀⠀
With rare exceptions most commuter trains have no specific area to put airline style luggage and most airport trains use commuter stock focused on airport workers more than travelers. I place my personal item on my roll-a-board at my feet. If the train is packed I put my legs around it to maximize space. I do not recall the Blue Line being super busy, probably because most people drive, but I'm a sucker for trains.
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caravanman
Engineer
I am puzzled by the "smoking" issue? Why did folk suddenly start smoking on trains during Covid? (A novel "preventative" measure)? 
toddinde
OBS Chief
If you have any kind of normal mobility and haven’t excessively overpacked, the Blue Line is great. I’ve done it many times in all kinds of weather. Not getting stuck in traffic and not paying a small fortune are reasons enough. I’ve never had anything even remotely suggesting a concern for safety. And, it’s a train. You get an extra train ride out of the deal.
NorthShore
Conductor
I am puzzled by the "smoking" issue? Why did folk suddenly start smoking on trains during Covid? (A novel "preventative" measure)?
Perfect storm. Low ridership, due to office workers not headed downtown and people not going out for entertainment. Increased homeless living on trains due to less beds at shelters because of social distancing. Little policing.
As such, during this time, some people just started taking advantage of the situation and doing whatever they desired. Who was going to stop them? And, without a critical mass of ridership, it was enabled. This also created a sense of unsafety, coupled with issues that arise downtown, which further kept the average rider off CTA trains.
You saw this sort of thing, even before the pandemic, on other branches of the L...and still do. (The Blue Line through the West side, beyond Medical Center, especially, is noted for it. And the Red Line South of Chinatown can get this way, also. There are, even, people selling smoking products on almost every train, South of Roosevelt.). But, it's generally much less on other L branches, especially when there is heavy ridership. That said, north side Red Line on a Saturday night (even though trains tend to be pretty full, even late/overnight hours): anything goes!
NorthShore
Conductor
When we took the Blue Line to/from O'Hare, we generally sat at the end of the car and put our bags near the end door so that they were not in the way of other passengers.
Metra Electric Rider
Engineer
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Did the OP say when their redeye arrived? Depending on that, the CTA might be the only rail option w/o a long wait.
Beware that Blue L train - Clinton (Union Station) start/stop being 3 stories underground and the 39+ steps of hell for those with handicap mobility issues - (No elevator assist from the underground to surface level street !)
Also alighting at O'Hare that Blue L train take care of what Terminal your airline uses - L train between terminals 2 & 3.
Indeed the Metra maybe a better alternative although the cars not as accommodating.
If there is no other alternative, one can take the Blue line to Clark/Lake where there are elevators and escalators inside the paid fare area that allow a transfer to the elevated lines of the Loop. Take the Pink Line around the Loop and get off at Quincy, where there is an elevator down to the street. From there, it's 3 to 4 blocks to Union Station, about as far away as the Clinton stop. But if one really has mobility issues, it might be best to just take a taxi or ride share from the airport to Union Station. Not sure if CTA has an on-demand mobility service, but you might need to be enrolled for such a program.
I'd be real tempted to just take the Blue line to Clark/Lake and enjoy the few blocks' walk to Union Station before a very long train ride.
caravanman
Engineer
Certainly, I have cursed the stairs at Clinton when carrying a large suitcase, but it's not too bad with a light load. From O'Hare, one is boarding an empty train at the start of the journey, so finding somewhere to keep light luggage is not much of an issue.
While waiting for my connection (TE to LSL) in mid-April, I did some exploring around CUS. Returning to the station from Lake Michigan, I arrived at the Union Station Transit Center, a bus terminal across West Jackson from Union Station, and rather than wait for a walk light, I saw a sign directing me to a different way of crossing W Jackson. There was a flight of stairs and (I 100% thought) an elevator down to a subway station. The pathway from the bottom of the stairs through some doors led directly to the Grand Hall and I don't remember any steps at all, but there might have been a short flight. Off to the right was a subway station, but I have no idea what line it was and whether it connected to O'Hare or to a line that goes to O'Hare, or whether it was CTA, Metra or something else.
At the bottom of the stairs was the lower end of the elevator. I took the stairs, so I don't know if the elevator was actually available. It might have been new and not yet in service (the whole bus station looked pretty new), or it might have been out of service or not available to the public, or it might have been an old elevator in the process being removed.
The subway station should be totally accessible from CUS, just go through the doors on the south side of the Great Hall, and follow the corridor about 100 feet to the turnstiles for entering the subway station. I'm pretty sure it was level boarding.
The non-Chicago people answering this question so far seem to have even less current information that I do! There must be some Chicagoans here who are familiar with the current (construction-disrupted) setup and know exactly what this subway station is, what lines it serves, and whether it is useful for getting to and from O'Hare. Please chip in! I suspect the people from Chicago who have replied so far know all this and are assuming everyone else does as well, but we obviously are relative strangers and don't!
At the bottom of the stairs was the lower end of the elevator. I took the stairs, so I don't know if the elevator was actually available. It might have been new and not yet in service (the whole bus station looked pretty new), or it might have been out of service or not available to the public, or it might have been an old elevator in the process being removed.
The subway station should be totally accessible from CUS, just go through the doors on the south side of the Great Hall, and follow the corridor about 100 feet to the turnstiles for entering the subway station. I'm pretty sure it was level boarding.
The non-Chicago people answering this question so far seem to have even less current information that I do! There must be some Chicagoans here who are familiar with the current (construction-disrupted) setup and know exactly what this subway station is, what lines it serves, and whether it is useful for getting to and from O'Hare. Please chip in! I suspect the people from Chicago who have replied so far know all this and are assuming everyone else does as well, but we obviously are relative strangers and don't!
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Devil's Advocate
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Basic advice for getting around in Chicago on the L with luggage.
1. Pack light
2. Plan ahead
3. Steps down, elevator up
4. Check service notices
5. Do not visit in Winter
Accessible Stations for the Blue Line: https://www.transitchicago.com/accessibility/accessibleservices/#blue
1. Pack light
2. Plan ahead
3. Steps down, elevator up
4. Check service notices
5. Do not visit in Winter
Accessible Stations for the Blue Line: https://www.transitchicago.com/accessibility/accessibleservices/#blue
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NorthShore
Conductor
(Not picking on you; just responding to the general concern, often expressed.) I don't know why everyone always assumes that you need to take the L at Clinton. There is an elevator (assuming it's in service, on occasion it isn't) at Jackson. And buses a half block away on Adams to Union Station and Jackson from Union Station. In my opinion, especially with luggage, this is the much preferable and easier way to/from Union Station. It, also, isn't a terrible walk, if you don't have tons of luggage and are reasonably healthy. Many people do just that, everyday, to get from work or entertainment destinations to commuter trains.
Maybe, if you're just taking a communter train, Clinton is fine. And it's also closest to the Greyhound Station. (Though they are, increasingly, moving operations to Union Station adjacent and may not be at that terminal for terribly long.)
Should the Clinton station be upgraded (and direct connected to Union Station?) Of course. But, that's not even on CTA's radar. So, why burden oneself with walking to that stop (even if it's, technically, closer) considering that it's extremely inconvenient?
NorthShore
Conductor
There is no direct walking connection between Chicago Union Station and any CTA L/Subway station.
What you found was the underground connection between the bus transit center, across the street from Union Station and the Union Station south concourse. This path will also lead to a parking garage under the newish BMO/Harris headquarters, which gets you to Clinton Street a block from the CTA Blue Line station. Where you still have to navigate stairs and a narrow escalator in a station which was never really built to service intercity railroad travelers, even though it was built in the 1940s (and hasn't been updated much since.)
For other identifiers around Chicago Union Station, see this thread where I offered a recent photo essay and there is a video from someone who used it to travel via Amtrak a few months ago.
https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/chicago-union-station-discussion.83465/page-10#post-1045824
