For the 15th year, the Chicago Transit Authority kicks off its "Holiday Train" program this Saturday, November 18, 2006. The CTA is already a fun, inexpensive way to take in the sights (especially if you have kids, mine love cruising the "L"), and the Holiday Train certainly removes some of the doldrums of riding mass transit.
The six-car train is adorned with thousands of lights, and has a flat car in the middle featuring Santa and his reindeer. The insides of the cars are decorated with bows, garland, lights, and more.
The Holiday Train shows up first on the Red and Purple lines, and rotates throughout the various CTA routes until Christmas as part of regular rail service (i.e., you have to pay the normal CTA fare). The train will run between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends, and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and makes all stops along their respective routes. A complete list of dates and rail lines are after the jump:
November 18 – 19
Red and Purple Lines
November 24
Loop Elevated and Blue Line
November 25
Blue Line
November 26
Pink Line
December 1
Blue Line
December 6 - 9
Green Line
December 13 - 16
Brown and Orange Lines
December 18
Red Line
December 19
Purple Line Express
December 20
Red Line
December 21
Yellow Line
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