09/22/99
Chicago's home teams are returning to the United Center for a new season of hockey and basketball, and the CTA's newly renamed #19 United Center Express buses will serve fans attending all home games, including pre-season activity.
A pre-season hockey game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 26, against the St. Louis Blues.
Other upcoming events that will be served by the #19 United Center Express include the Kings of Comedy show at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, September 25, and the Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band concerts at 8:30 p.m. the evenings of September 27, 28 and 30.
The first hockey home game of the season will be played at 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 8, against the Phoenix Coyotes. About a month later, the first basketball home game will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 3, against the New York Knickerbockers.
#19 United Center Express buses begin their trips about two hours before the start of each event, making their first stop southbound on Michigan at Chicago Avenue.
Operating every 12 minutes until about a half hour before the start of the game, #19 buses proceed south on Michigan, stopping at Illinois, before turning west on Wacker and going south on State.
After stopping southbound on State at Lake for riders connecting from the Green Line, and at Washington for the Red Line, #19 buses turn west on Madison and stop mid-block between State and Dearborn for riders from the Blue Line. Additional stops are made on Madison at Wells for riders transferring from the Brown and Orange Lines; at Clinton for Metra riders from the Ogilvie Center (NorthWestern Station) and Union Station, and again at Halsted before the buses run express to the United Center.
A new routing west of Halsted will allow #19 buses to reach the United Center more quickly than if they had stayed on Madison, which becomes a two-way street west of the expressway. The buses will now go north on Halsted to Randolph and west via Randolph and Washington before heading back to Madison at Damen. With #19 Express buses now stopping eastbound on Madison right in front of the United Center, customers will no longer need to cross the street to enter the venue.
Buses returning downtown and to North Michigan Avenue after each game will start their trips eastbound on Madison from the same location as they arrived. Return trips are via Madison, Halsted, Washington, State, and Wacker to Michigan, where buses will make all stops north to Chicago Avenue.
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