Metra, CTA Plan Extra Weekend Service For Riot Fest, Football Games
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The CTA and Metra will provide additional bus and rail service to accommodate customers going to Riot Fest, the Chicago Bears game and the Northwestern University football game this weekend.
Riot Fest will run from noon to 10 p.m., Friday through Sunday at Douglas Park in the North Lawndale neighborhood. The CTA will provide longer trains on the Pink Line from 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. all weekend and operate more frequently from 10 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. on Friday, and from noon to 11:45 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the CTA said in a statement.
The California stop at the Pink Line is located two blocks from the festival's east entrance. Additional bus service on the #12 Roosevelt will begin 3 p.m. Friday and 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday until 7:30 p.m. each night, according to the CTA. Extra service on the #49 Western, #52 Kedzie/California and #94 South California from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. each night.
Metra will also provide extra rail service to help accommodate concertgoers, with Metra BNSF trains scheduled to make extra stops at Western Avenue throughout the weekend, the rail agency said.
The Chicago Bears home opener at Soldier Field will begin Monday night at 7:30 p.m. against the Philadelphia Eagles. The CTA will operate the #128 Soldier Field Express between Union Station, Ogilvie Station and Soldier Field. Additional service on the #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express service for customers heading to the game. Extra service will begin 2 hours before game time and continue for one hour after the game ends. Free train rides will be available for two hours after the game at the Roosevelt station courtesy of Miller Lite, according to the CTA.
The Northwestern University Wildcats football game at Ryan Field in Evanston will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. against Duke. The CTA will run longer trains on the Purple Line two hours before the game. Ryan Field is a few blocks west of the Purple Line's Central station.
Additionally, a partial platform closure at Blue Line Harlem station will begin 9 p.m. Tuesday through Oct. 4. During the platform renewal work, the Forest Park-bound trains will not stop at the station.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2016. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)