The CTA runs trains straight into both Chicago airports. Take the Blue Line to O’Hare, about 40 to 45 minutes from downtown, or the Orange Line to Midway, about 20 to 25 minutes. The fare is $2.50, or $5 when you board at O’Hare, a fraction of a taxi or rideshare.
Times, fares, and directions below come from the CTA’s airport and fare pages. Station counts come from the City of Chicago’s open data.
CTA to O’Hare and Midway at a glance
- O’Hare: Blue Line, 40 to 45 minutes to downtown, runs 24 hours a day
- Midway: Orange Line, 20 to 25 minutes to downtown, no overnight trains
- Fare: $2.50, except $5 when you board at O’Hare
Taking the Blue Line to O’Hare
The Blue Line runs between downtown and O’Hare 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so it works for red-eye flights too. Every train runs through downtown, and the O’Hare station is accessible.
The station sits on the lower level, connected directly to Terminals 1, 2, and 3. From baggage claim, follow the signs for “CTA Trains” or “Trains to City.” The CTA says the walk takes under ten minutes. Flying in or out of Terminal 5? Ride the free Airport Transit System train between Terminal 5 and Terminal 2. There’s no Terminal 4.
Riding to the airport costs the regular $2.50 L fare. Leaving O’Hare costs $5 (full fare), charged when you enter the O’Hare station. A 1-, 3-, 7-, or 30-day pass covers it at no extra charge, and the 1-day pass costs the same $5.
Taking the Orange Line to Midway
The Orange Line connects Midway with downtown in about 20 to 25 minutes, at the regular $2.50 fare both ways. The station is just east of the terminal, connected by an enclosed walkway, and it’s accessible. Follow the “CTA Trains” signs, or the orange line painted on the floor.
Unlike the Blue Line, the Orange Line doesn’t run overnight. Trains leave Midway from about 3:30 a.m. on weekdays (4 a.m. Saturdays, 4:30 a.m. Sundays and holidays) until about 1 a.m. Overnight, the N62 Archer bus runs between Midway and State/Washington downtown.
CTA vs. taxi vs. rideshare
The train is the cheapest way to either airport by a wide margin. The CTA’s own comparison:
- CTA: $5 or less from O’Hare, $2.50 or less from Midway
- Taxi: around $40 from O’Hare, around $25 from Midway
- Rideshare: around $35 to $50 from O’Hare, $25 to $40 from Midway, before surge pricing
At rush hour, traffic on the Kennedy and Stevenson expressways can make a car slower than the train, which runs on its own tracks.
How to pay
The cheapest way is to tap a contactless bank card or phone at the fare gate, or use a Ventra card or the Ventra app. A single-ride ticket from the station machine costs $3 ($5 at O’Hare). Tap the same card or phone again and you get up to two free transfers within two hours, so switching from the train to a bus to reach your hotel doesn’t cost extra.
How busy the airport stations are
O’Hare is the third-busiest L station by total entries, with 2.22 million from January through August 2026, about 9,500 on an average weekday. Only Clark/Lake and the Red Line’s Lake station had more. Midway had 1.08 million entries over the same months, about 5,100 per weekday. Entries count people boarding at each station. See the full list of the busiest CTA stations and bus routes.
The airport lines also carry the longest rides. Among Transit Stats riders, the Orange Line has the longest average ride of any L line at 6.8 miles, and the Blue Line is second at 5.9 miles. More in our CTA commute routes breakdown.
Before you go
Weekend construction sometimes replaces part of a line with shuttle buses, and stations and elevators occasionally close. Check the CTA’s airport page for current alerts before you head out, especially with a tight connection.
Sources
- CTA: Getting to and from the airports (travel times, hours, directions, cost comparison)
- CTA: Fares (fares effective February 20, 2023)
- CTA: Orange Line (hours of service)
- City of Chicago Data Portal: CTA L Station Entries, Daily Totals (January 1 to August 31, 2026)