Chicago 'L' schedule and train times
How often trains run on each line, the first and last train at every station, and which two lines never stop.
How the 'L' timetable works
The ‘L’ does not run to a timetable you need to memorise. Trains come every few minutes for most of the day, so you turn up and go. What is worth knowing is the shape of the day, and the one genuinely important fact:
The Red and Blue lines run 24 hours a day, every day. The other six close overnight, roughly between 1am and 4am. If you are out late, or landing at O’Hare at 3am, those two lines are still running.
Below is how often trains come on each line, by time of day and day of the week, worked out from the CTA’s own published timetable.
How often trains run, line by line
| Line | Early morning 4:00–6:30 am | Morning rush 6:30–9:30 am | Midday 9:30 am–3:00 pm | Afternoon rush 3:00–7:00 pm | Evening 7:00–10:00 pm | Late night 10:00 pm–4:00 am |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red24 H | 11 min | 5 min | 6 min | 5 min | 7 min | 8 min |
| Blue24 H | 15 min | 6 min | 6 min | 5 min | 8 min | 8 min |
| Brown | 12 min | 5 min | 8 min | 6 min | 8 min | 10 min |
| Green | 12 min | 8 min | 10 min | 9 min | 10 min | 11 min |
| Orange | 12 min | 8 min | 8 min | 8 min | 12 min | 15 min |
| Purple | 14 min | 8 min | 10 min | 10 min | 10 min | 12 min |
| Pink | 15 min | 8 min | 10 min | 8 min | 10 min | 12 min |
| Yellow | 15 min | 11 min | 15 min | 11 min | 15 min | 15 min |
Typical gap in one direction, from CTA's published timetable. Weekend frequencies are on each line's own page.
Before you travel
- Check the service status. Weekend track work is common on the 'L' and can mean shuttle buses. Live status board.
- Check which branch. On the Green Line south of Garfield, trains alternate between Ashland/63rd and Cottage Grove — read the front of the train.
- Check the hour. Only the Red and Blue lines run overnight.
- State/Lake is closed until 2029. Washington/Wabash and Clark/Lake are the alternatives.
First and last train at every station
Pick a line for its full station-by-station list.
Red Line24 HOURS
95th/Dan Ryan ↔ Howard
Blue Line24 HOURS
Forest Park ↔ O'Hare
Brown Line
Kimball
Green Line
Harlem/Lake ↔ Ashland/63rd / Cottage Grove
Orange Line
Midway
Purple Line
Howard ↔ Linden
Pink Line
54th/Cermak
Yellow Line
Dempster-Skokie ↔ Howard
Service monitoring
Chicago 'L' status
Service status · updated in real time
95th/Dan Ryan ↔ Howard
Forest Park ↔ O'Hare
Kimball ↔ the Loop
Harlem/Lake ↔ Ashland/63rd + Cottage Grove
Midway ↔ the Loop
Howard ↔ Linden
54th/Cermak ↔ the Loop
Dempster-Skokie ↔ Howard
Schedule questions
It depends on the line, and two of them never stop. The Red and Blue lines run 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The Brown, Green, Orange, Purple, Pink and Yellow lines close overnight — the last trains run roughly between midnight and 2am depending on where you are on the line, and service starts again around 4am. Each line page here lists the exact first and last train for every one of its stations.
At the morning rush: every 4–5 minutes on the Red and Brown lines, every 6 on the Blue, every 8 or so on the Green, Orange, Purple and Pink, and every 11 on the Yellow. Midday it is typically every 6–10 minutes, and overnight (Red and Blue only) every 8–10.
Yes, but usually to a Sunday timetable — less frequent, and the Purple Line Express does not run. The Red and Blue lines keep running 24 hours as always. Worth checking CTA directly for the day itself.
The ‘L’ does not publish a departure-time timetable in the way a commuter railway does, because trains are frequent enough that it would not be useful — what you want is the frequency table above and the first/last train for your station. For the network diagram, the map PDF is here.
Check before every trip
Operating hours and departure frequencies can change at short notice, and trains may run with delays. Before you travel, open this page to confirm the latest times and check the live service status for any disruptions on your line.