O'Hare to Union Station and Amtrak
O'Hare to Chicago Union Station: Metra on weekdays for $3.75, the Blue Line any hour for $5, or a taxi at about $50. Check Amtrak times with Amtrak.
Metra’s North Central Service runs from O’Hare Transfer straight into Chicago Union Station, but it’s weekdays only. The Blue Line covers weekends and nights because it runs 24 hours a day, every day. O’Hare’s pages publish no Amtrak fares or departure times, and neither does Amtrak’s Union Station page, so check your ticket or ask Amtrak.
Three ways to Union Station
| Option | When it runs | Cost | From your terminal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metra North Central Service | Weekdays only | $3.75 one way, $1.75 reduced | Ride the free Airport Transit System to the Multi-Modal Facility, then go to the O’Hare Transfer station behind it |
| CTA Blue Line | 24 hours, every day | $5 to board at O’Hare | Follow the Trains to City signs from Terminals 1, 2 and 3. From Terminal 5, ride the Airport Transit System to Terminal 2 or 3 first |
| Taxi | The airport publishes no hours | About $50 on average to downtown | The stand on the lower-level curb outside baggage claim |
The Airport Transit System takes about 10 minutes end to end, from Terminal 1 to the Multi-Modal Facility, so no terminal is further than that from the Metra station.
Metra goes straight in
O’Hare Transfer is at 10300 Zemke Rd. Its waiting room is open 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and a credit card ticket vending machine stands at the station. Trains normally board from Platform 1. You can also buy a ticket from the conductor or in the Ventra app.
O’Hare Transfer is in fare Zone 2 and Union Station in Zone 1. A day pass between the same zones costs $7.50, or $3.50 reduced.
The airport doesn’t publish train times or a running time. Metra’s schedules page lists a printable North Central Service schedule, so look there for a train and match it to your Amtrak departure before you leave the terminal.
The Blue Line runs when Metra doesn’t
Ride to Clinton station, at 426 S. Clinton St. CTA’s page for that station lists the connection to all Amtrak trains at Chicago Union Station, which is at 255 South Clinton Street. Neither CTA nor the airport says how far it is from the station to Union Station.
A taxi has no changes
The table’s average of about $50 and the $30 shared flat fare both name downtown, not Union Station. A rush hour surcharge of $2.50 applies from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and an overnight surcharge of $1.00 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Our taxi page lists the full meter rates.
Amtrak at La Grange Road instead
Pace Route 330 leaves the Multi-Modal Facility from bus bays 8 and 9 and calls at the La Grange Road station for Amtrak and the Metra BNSF Line. Pace says the route runs daily and the airport says weekdays and Saturdays, so check Pace’s schedule for your day. It costs $2.00 with a Ventra card, mobile wallet, app or contactless bank card, or $2.25 in cash with no transfers. Ride the Airport Transit System to the Multi-Modal Facility first. Our Pace Route 330 page lists the route, and the western suburbs guide covers the trip beyond it.
At Union Station
Amtrak’s Union Station page lists the Metropolitan Lounge, open daily 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It admits Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Executive and Select Plus members, private room customers and Single Visit Pass holders with same-day reservations. Amtrak sells the Single Visit Pass for $35.
Sources
- ORD Airport Guide: Metra North Central Service, CTA Blue Line, taxis and Airport Transit System
- Chicago Department of Aviation: Public Transit, Taxis and Airport Transit System pages
- Metra: O’Hare Transfer station, Schedules and Fares pages
- Chicago Transit Authority: Blue Line and Clinton station pages
- Amtrak: Chicago Union Station page