Local
Chicago’s Loop rail shutdown will reroute four CTA lines Oct. 24-26
Elevated service on the Green, Brown, Orange and Pink lines will stop in the Loop from 4 a.m. Saturday until 4 a.m. Monday for work tied to the Lake Street Bridge replacement. CTA shuttle buses will cover several gaps, while the Red and Blue lines will continue running normally.
Chicago’s elevated Loop rail service will shut down for 48 hours this weekend as crews work at the Loop and Lake junction, disrupting Green, Brown, Orange and Pink line trips from 4 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, until 4 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, 2026.
The work is part of the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Lake Street Bridge replacement project. The city says shuttle buses will replace train service on several segments, and riders should plan for extra travel time or consider alternate routes. CTA buses will follow their regular weekend schedules. The underground Red and Blue lines will not be affected.
Green Line trains will run between Harlem/Lake and Clinton, and separately between Roosevelt and the South Side terminals. Buses will connect Clinton and Roosevelt. Riders traveling downtown from the South Side can transfer to the Red Line at Roosevelt.
Brown Line trains will operate between Kimball and Merchandise Mart. Shuttle buses will cover the stretch from Merchandise Mart to Harold Washington Library-State/Van Buren. Riders can connect to the Red Line at Belmont or Fullerton.
Orange Line service will run between Midway and Roosevelt, with shuttle buses connecting Roosevelt and Clinton. Pink Line trains will run between 54th/Cermak and the Racine Blue Line station, but not around the Loop; passengers can transfer to the Blue Line at Racine.
The weekend closure follows weeks of Green and Pink line disruptions between Clinton and Clark/Lake that began Oct. 12. That phase of work is scheduled to end Friday, before the broader Loop shutdown begins.
The 109-year-old Lake Street Bridge has been closed to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists since October 2025 for a two-year reconstruction and repair project. Elevated train service over the bridge has continued with periodic pauses and reroutes. CTA also suspended elevated Loop service for similar work at the start of the project last year.