Santa and his elves are back and spreading holiday cheer across Chicago’s transit system
Santa Claus will soon be back in Chicagoland and once again, he and his reindeer are letting the CTA do the driving! The CTA is excited to announce upcoming service schedule for the 2024 Allstate CTA Holiday Fleet. The brightly decorated train and bus will be carrying Santa and elves throughout the Windy City, starting the week of Thanksgiving, much to the delight of passengers young and old.
“We’re proud to continue this cherished holiday tradition that brings joy to riders of all ages,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “The Allstate CTA Holiday Train and Bus are more than festive decorations—they are a unique Chicago holiday tradition that celebrates the goodwill of this city, and the hard work of CTA employees who are committed to making everyone’s holidays a little brighter.”
Allstate CTA Holiday Train
Now in its 33rd year of operation, the beloved Holiday Train begins dashing through the snow - and all other weather - Friday morning, November 29. Riders can expect the spectacle of a six-car CTA train decorated with holiday scenes, countless sparkling lights, plus Santa and his reindeer along for the ride greeting riders and families from a flatbed.
Beyond spreading cheer, the Holiday Train stays true to its origins of giving back to those the CTA serves by delivering food baskets to local charitable organizations to ensure families have all the fixings for a hearty holiday meal. This year, CTA personnel are donating their time and money to assemble several hundred food baskets.
Customers looking to catch a ride or a picture can follow the Allstate CTA Holiday Train as it travels all eight rail lines this holiday season via the CTA Train Tracker: transitchicago.com/traintracker. Look for the candy cane icon to find the Holiday Train and when it might be getting close to your neighborhood station.
Allstate CTA Holiday Bus
Beginning Tuesday, November 26, the Allstate CTA Holiday Bus will be back bringing joy to 17 bus routes. Launched in 2014, this joyful bus brings cheer to the streets of Chicago as it plays holiday music, dazzles with festive lights and features Santa and Chicago’s other reindeer, “Ralphie” as depicted on the exterior wrap of the vehicle. Once aboard, passengers are greeted by a cozy holiday-themed interior complete with a miniature village and sparkling decorations, and Santa seated in the back to greet riders.
Continuing the Holiday Bus tradition, the interior of this year’s bus will feature the artwork of local Chicago students from a selected school. This year, the CTA partnered with Catalyst Maria Elementary School, showcasing artwork created by students in kindergarten through 8th grade.
Don’t miss your chance to ride aboard the bus with Santa, use transitchicago.com/holidaybustracker to see its whereabouts in real-time while it is in service during scheduled hours.
The Holiday Train and Bus will serve all scheduled stops along their routes. Standard CTA fares apply. For schedules and additional details, please visit transitchicago.com/holiday.