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Mass Transit in much of Chicagoland is managed through the Regional Transportation Authority ("RTA"), which was installed by referendum in 1974. The RTA provides transportation services through the funding of three subordinate agencies:

• Chicago Transit Authority
• Metra
• Pace

Contents 1 Mass transit 2 Commuter rail 3 Suburban bus transit 4 Transit information 5 See also 6 External links

The Chicago Transit Authority or CTA, operates the second largest public transportation system in the United States (to New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority) and covers the City of Chicago and 40 surrounding suburbs. The CTA operates 24 hours a day and, on an average weekday, 1.6 million rides are taken on the CTA.

CTA has approximately 2,000 buses that operate over 152 routes and 2,273 route miles. Buses provide about 1 million passenger trips a day and serve more than 12,000 posted bus stops. CTA's 1,190 rapid transit cars operate over seven routes and 222 miles of track. CTA trains provide about 500,000 customer trips each day and serve 144 stations in Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Rosemont, Forest Park, Oak Park and Cicero. The elevated train is also known as the "Chicago L" or "El" to Chicagoans.

Chicago is one of the few cities in the United States that provides rapid transit service to two major airports. From the downtown area the CTA's Blue Line takes customers to O'Hare International Airport in about 40 minutes and the Orange Line takes customers to Chicago Midway International Airport in about 30 minutes from the Loop.

Chicagoland Commuter Rail Metra Lines
	Union Pacific/North Line
	North Central Service
	Milwaukee District/North Line
	Union Pacific/Northwest Line
	Milwaukee District/West Line
	Union Pacific/West Line
	BNSF Railway Line
	Heritage Corridor
	SouthWest Service
	Rock Island District
	Metra Electric Line
NICTD Service
	South Shore Line
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The Northeastern Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, under its trademark Metra, operates eleven commuter rail lines that serve 200+ stations across the RTA's six-county service area. Unlike the 'L' lines, fare pricing is based on zones instead of a flat boarding fee. In addition, being mainly commuter rail service, frequent service is generally only provided during rush hours, although Metra is known for its speed and reliability. The eleven lines (while there are eleven, the Metra Electric line has three different branches) connect into one of four different downtown stations: Union Pacific North, West, and Northwest arrive in the Richard B. Oglivie Transportation Center (known more casually as the "Northwestern Station"); Milwaukee District North and West, North Central Service, Southwest Service, Burlington Northern, and Heritage Corridor converge in Union Station (along with being the nexus of Amtrak); the Rock Island Line arrives in the LaSalle Street Station; and the Metra Electric arrives in Millennium Station (Formerly Randolph Street Terminal).

The Metra Electric Line is Chicago's oldest continuing commuter train (1856), and shares the railway with the South Shore Line, operated by the Northwest Indiana Commuter Transit District ("NICTD"), which is a separate but analogous quasi-governmental entity from the RTA. The South Shore Line is an interurban railroad that operates between Chicago and South Bend, Indiana. Like the Metra Electric Line, it arrives and departs from Millennium Station.

See also: Rail stations of Chicago

Pace operates a primarily-suburban bus service that also offers some routes into Chicago.

The CTA offers a trip planner on its web site that provides information for public transit in Chicago and surrounding areas. It is multi-modal, combining schedule information for buses, trains, and commuter rail. Riders enter their intended origin and destination, along with optional time, date, and other information, and the trip planner displays itineraries showing the stops, depature and arrival times, and times to get from the origin to the destination.

• Chicago City Railway
• Taxicabs in Chicago

• Chicago Transit Authority - official site, including trip planner and system maps.
• This is Grand - Stories of Chicago's Rapid Transit