--- title: "Six hours or more in Chicago from O'Hare: the Blue Line" description: "Six hours from O'Hare: the Blue Line takes 40 to 45 minutes to downtown. The last checkpoint closes at 11 p.m. in Terminals 1 and 2, 10:30 p.m. in Terminal 3." url: "https://ordairportguide.com/guides/six-hours-or-more-chicago-from-ohare/" updated: "2026-10-31" airport: "ORD" type: "guide" --- > Independent guide, not the official ORD website. All pages: https://ordairportguide.com/llms.txt # Six hours or more in Chicago from O'Hare Six hours from O'Hare: the Blue Line takes 40 to 45 minutes to downtown. The last checkpoint closes at 11 p.m. in Terminals 1 and 2, 10:30 p.m. in Terminal 3. Updated October 31, 2026 ![The lawn, hedge and brick path of Grant Park in Chicago on a grey day, with downtown towers beyond the trees.](https://ordairportguide.com/images/ord/blue-line-ohare-stairs-v13.webp) Grant Park, Chicago A round trip on the Blue Line, the L train from O’Hare to downtown, takes about 80 to 90 minutes of a six-hour layover. That counts the ride back as long as the ride out, and it comes before the walks and before you’ve spent any time downtown. CTA gives 40 to 45 minutes only for the ride from O’Hare to downtown. The line runs 24 hours a day, so your return time comes from the [security checkpoints](https://ordairportguide.com/security/). The last one closes at 11 p.m. in Terminals 1 and 2 and at 10:30 p.m. in Terminal 3. ## What six hours leaves you | Piece | Minutes | Where the number comes from | | --- | --- | --- | | Your layover | 360 | Landing to departure | | Blue Line, both directions | 80 to 90 | CTA’s normal 40 to 45 minutes from O’Hare to downtown, counted again for the ride back | | Walk from baggage claim to the train | Under 10 | CTA, for Terminals 1, 2 and 3 only, one direction only | | Left for downtown, the walk back, the TSA line and boarding | About 260 | The rest, after the top of CTA’s train range and 10 minutes of walking out | Every extra hour of layover goes into that last row. CTA gives the walk from baggage claim, not from a gate, and only for Terminals 1, 2 and 3. From Terminal 5 you ride the [Airport Transit System](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/airport-transit-system/) to Terminal 2 first. CTA’s page gives no time for that ride. The airport puts the train at about 10 minutes end to end from Terminal 1, with trains every 3 to 5 minutes at peak times, 24 hours a day. If you fly from Terminal 5, subtract about 10 minutes for it each way from the 260 in the last row. The airport’s Public Transit, Taxi, TSA and Connecting Traveler pages give no walk from a gate to baggage claim. Its TSA and Connecting Traveler pages also give no security wait or arrive-by time for passengers coming back. O’Hare publishes no lockers or left-luggage service, and Travelers Aid says it cannot store luggage, so a trip downtown means taking your bags along. ## Working out your latest return - Pick the time you want to join the checkpoint line, with a cushion of your own for the line and boarding. - Check that time against the checkpoint hours in the table below. - Subtract 45 minutes for the Blue Line ride. CTA gives that time for O’Hare to downtown only, so this counts the ride back as long as the ride out. - Subtract the walk from the O’Hare station to the checkpoint. CTA gives no time for it. That result is the latest train out of downtown. To join a Terminal 3 line at 7:30 p.m., for example, the train leaves downtown by 6:45 p.m. minus the walk. If you come back by road, use 90 minutes in step 3, because that’s the top of CTA’s range for a taxi or rideshare. | Terminal | Earliest opening | Latest closing | Checkpoint open that late | PreCheck lane ends | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Terminal 1 | 3:30 a.m. | 11 p.m. | Checkpoint 1 | 8:30 p.m. | | Terminal 2 | 3:15 a.m. | 11 p.m. | Checkpoint 5 | 8 p.m. | | Terminal 3 | 3:30 a.m. | 10:30 p.m. | Checkpoint 7A | 10:30 p.m. (Checkpoint 7 takes over at 8:30 p.m.) | | Terminal 5 | Open 24 hours | Open 24 hours | Checkpoint 10 | 8:30 p.m. | Terminals 2 and 5 each have one checkpoint. Terminals 1 and 3 have others that close earlier: | Terminal | Other checkpoint | Closes | | --- | --- | --- | | Terminal 1 | Checkpoint 2 | 8:30 p.m. | | Terminal 1 | Checkpoint 3 | 8 p.m. | | Terminal 3 | Checkpoints 6 and 7 | 8 p.m., apart from the PreCheck lane at Checkpoint 7 | | Terminal 3 | Checkpoint 8 | 8:30 p.m. | In Terminals 1, 2 and 5 the PreCheck lane stops before the checkpoint does, so subtract the difference if you count on one. The Blue Line doesn’t stop at Terminal 5. You’d ride the Airport Transit System (ATS), the airport’s free train, from Terminal 2 or 3 to reach it. The airport says hours can shift with the day’s activity and asks you to check with your airline. The CLEAR lanes run these hours: | Terminal | Checkpoint | CLEAR lane | | --- | --- | --- | | Terminal 1 | Checkpoint 3 | Sunday to Friday 4:15 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 4:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | | Terminal 2 | Checkpoint 5 | Sunday and Monday 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday 4:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | | Terminal 5 | Checkpoint 10 | Sunday to Friday 4:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. | ## The train runs all night The airport says Blue Line service is more frequent on weekday mornings and evenings. All trains from the O’Hare station go through downtown on their way to Forest Park or, during some hours, UIC-Halsted. CTA’s alerts page posts planned work and service changes. Our [CTA Blue Line page](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/cta-blue-line/) has the station and the signs to follow. Boarding at O’Hare costs $5, and boarding at any other station costs $2.50. Single fares for the round trip add up to $7.50. A one-day CTA and Pace pass costs $5 and runs for 24 hours from first use. It covers boarding at O’Hare with nothing extra, which makes it cheaper for the round trip and covers any rides you take downtown. Ventra vending machines at the station load passes onto a card. ## A taxi or rideshare instead | O’Hare to downtown | Cost | Time | | --- | --- | --- | | CTA train | $5 or less | 45 minutes | | Taxi | Around $40 on CTA’s chart | 25 to 90 minutes | | Rideshare | Around $35 to $50, surges to $140 or more | 25 to 90 minutes | Those are CTA’s estimates. The airport’s taxi page puts the average metered fare to downtown at $50 and says fares follow traffic. The shared flat fare from O’Hare to downtown or McCormick Place is $30. Taxi ranks are at the lower level curb outside baggage claim at every terminal. Our [taxi page](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/taxi/) and [rideshare page](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/rideshare/) list the pickup points. ## What the airport publishes about getting back in It publishes checkpoint hours and PreCheck lanes, and for international connections it says all connecting passengers go through TSA screening. The airport’s connecting page covers connections between flights, both domestic and international. Neither it nor the TSA page gives a rule for leaving the secure area mid-layover. ## Sources - ORD Airport Guide: [CTA Blue Line](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/cta-blue-line/), [security checkpoints](https://ordairportguide.com/security/), [taxi](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/taxi/), [rideshare](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/rideshare/), [connecting flights](https://ordairportguide.com/connections/) and [luggage storage](https://ordairportguide.com/amenities/luggage-storage/) - Chicago Transit Authority: Airport transit, Blue Line, Fares and Alerts - Chicago Department of Aviation: TSA Information, Public Transit, Taxis and Connecting Traveler