CTA will shut down all elevated Loop trains this weekend, impacting Green, Brown, Orange and Pink lines
By Sara Tenenbaum, Jermont Terry
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CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — All elevated Loop CTA train lines will shut down for the weekend, the city said, as they do work on the Loop and Lake junction.
The shutdown will affect the Green, Brown, Orange and Pink lines. The work is part of the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Lake Street Bridge replacement project.
Green and Pink line service has already been disrupted since Oct 12, with tracks not operating between the Clinton and Clark/Lake stations as part of the bridge project. That work ends Friday, according to the city.
Shuttle buses will be provided to bridge the gaps.
Green Line trains will operate between Harlem/Lake and Clinton, and separately between Roosevelt and the South Side terminals. Shuttle buses will be in place between Clinton and Roosevelt, replacing the Clinton to Clark/Lake shuttle that’s been running the past two weeks.
Riders traveling downtown from the South Side can also connect to the Red Line at Roosevelt, CTA said.
Brown Line trains will run between Kimball and Merchandise Mart. Riders headed to the Red Line can connect at Belmont and Fullerton. Shuttle buses will replace service between Merchandise Mart and Harold Washington Library-State/Van Buren.
The Orange Line will operate between Midway and Roosevelt, and shuttle buses will operate between Roosevelt and Clinton.
Pink Line trains will run between 54th/Cermak and the Racine Blue Line station. Pink Line trains will not operate around the Loop. Customers can transfer between the Pink and Blue lines at Racine.
The Red and Blue lines, which run underground, are not affected.
Loop service will be shut down between 4 a.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Monday. Riders should plan to allow extra time over the weekend, and may want to consider alternate routes. CTA buses are running on their normal weekend schedule.
The Lake Street Bridge, which is 109 years old, closed for two years in October 2025 for extensive reconstruction and repairs. The bridge is closed to all drivers, pedestrians and bikers for the duration of the project, but the L tracks running over it have been operational with some pauses, re-routes and disruptions along the way.
CTA shut down elevated train traffic in the Loop in a nearly identical way one year ago.
Terrence Russell is among the thousands of CTA riders whose commute will have a huge change this weekend.
“It is actually quite devastating to learn this information,” he said.
With the people, construction, and vehicles already in the Loop on a typical weekend, expect more congestion with no Loop elevated trains running on Saturday and Sunday. Downtown will also be host to Halloween street festivals, the ALS Walk for Life and the Will Run for Beer Chicago 5K & Brewfest.
“That’s a lot of inconvenience,” CTA rider Adam Chan said. “It’s a core piece of infrastructure for the city.”
Chicago is the only city in the nation with elevated rails running in its downtown. The oldest line dates back 134 years. The State/Lake station has already been closed for major renovations since January. CTA officials said halting downtown elevated trains is its way of staying on top of required maintenance.
“Getting it repaired rapidly without dragging it out, there’s big benefits in that,” said DePaul University transportation expert Joe Schwieterman.
He said safety must be considered for workers with the work CTA must get done.
“If you want to do any kind of heavy work, you really have to bring in the big equipment, and those trains have to stop,” he said.
Nonetheless, Russell said he doesn’t approve, because he has to work this weekend, and he can’t risk delays from the CTA’s shuttle buses, so he’ll have to rely on rideshares.
“Somewhere close to $150 this weekend just getting back and forth,” he said, compared to just $20 for riding the CTA.
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