Chicago Holiday Train Is Coming This Year — But You Can’t Ride It – 2020

Chicago - The traditional Christmas (holiday) train will still be decorated, but people won't be able to board. Instead, Santa will wave at children and their families.

The holiday train and bus are beloved traditions in Chicago, bringing holiday cheer to travelers around the city. The train will return on Nov. 27, complete with decorations and Santa. But there will be a big change due to the coronavirus pandemic: People won’t get on board. Instead, the heavily decorated bus and the train will roll by, with Santa waving to children and families as they watch.

CTA Press release: "We agreed to make the following temporary changes to the 2020 CTA Holiday Fleet:

• The CTA Holiday Train and CTA Holiday Bus will travel “out of service”, meaning that customers will not be able to board.
• All photo sessions with Santa will be temporarily suspended this year.

Fortunately, as many can attest, the mere sight of the CTA Holiday Tran & Bus is enough to brighten anyone’s day – and we couldn’t agree more, which is why we felt this was the best approach to keeping the tradition of delivering holiday cheer and goodwill throughout the city.

“Because our No. 1 priority is the health and safety of our customers and employees, we wanted to find a way to spread holiday cheer across the city, but do so responsibly,” CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. said in a news release. “Though customers won’t be able to get on board, we know that seeing the CTA Holiday Train and Bus in neighborhoods throughout the city will bring much-needed smiles, joy, and hope for everyone.”

The train will feature six cars festooned with thousands of lights, signs, and other decorations. Santa and his reindeer will ride on the outside, as usual."

Train schedule

In 2020, the CTA Holiday Train will travel out-of-service, meaning that customers will not be able to board the train. The train will travel all eight rail lines beginning Friday, November 27 (the day after Thanksgiving) through Monday, December 21

In order to help avoid crowding at stations and on platforms, look for the CTA Holiday Train during afternoons on the dates and rail lines listed below:

• Green Line: November 27-28, December 1
• Brown Line: December 2-5
• Orange Line: December 2-5
• Red Line: December 8, 10 and 12
• Purple Line: December 9, 11 and 12
• Pink Line: December 15, 16 and 19
• Blue Line: December 17-19
• Yellow Line: December 21

Up to date information can be viewed at https://www.transitchicago.com/holidayfleet/

Everyone have a safe and enjoyable holiday in these unprecedented times. We will get through this.