---
title: "What to do when the O'Hare terminal train isn't running"
description: "The airport names no replacement when the train stops. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 connect on foot, and a bus reaches Terminal 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m."
url: "https://ordairportguide.com/guides/what-do-when-ohare-terminal-train-not-running/"
updated: "2026-10-31"
airport: "ORD"
type: "guide"
---

> Independent guide, not the official ORD website. All pages: https://ordairportguide.com/llms.txt

# What to do when the O'Hare terminal train isn't running

The airport names no replacement when the train stops. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 connect on foot, and a bus reaches Terminal 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Updated October 31, 2026

![The red steel roof of the Airport Transit System platform at Terminal 1 at O'Hare, where the train runs.](https://ordairportguide.com/images/ord/t2-ats-platform-v4.webp)

Airport train platform, Terminal 1

The airport doesn’t say what to do when the Airport Transit System stops, and its pages name no replacement. They do give two ways between terminals that skip the train: a walk between Terminals 1, 2 and 3, and the Terminal Transfer Bus to Terminal 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

| Your trip | Without the train |
| --- | --- |
| Between Terminals 1, 2 and 3 | Walk on the secure side, following the overhead signs |
| Terminal 5 to or from Terminal 1 or 3, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Terminal Transfer Bus, every 15 minutes |
| Terminal 5 to or from Terminal 2, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. | The bus lists no Terminal 2 stop, so walk to a Terminal 1 or 3 stop first |
| Terminal 5 to or from the other terminals, 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 a.m. | The airport names none |
| Terminal 5 to the CTA Blue Line | The airport names none |

## Terminals 1, 2 and 3: walk on the secure side

The airport says you don’t have to leave the secure side and take the train between these three terminals. For the Blue Line from any of the three, the airport says to follow the Trains to City signs through the pedestrian tunnels on the Basement Level. Our [walking guide](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/can-you-walk-between-ohare-terminals-after-security/) covers the secure-side links and notes that the airport publishes no walking times.

## Terminal 5 by bus: who can ride

The [Terminal Transfer Bus](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/terminal-transfer-bus/) is for connecting passengers only. You need a boarding pass for a same-day departing flight from the terminal you’re transferring to. It stops at Terminal 1’s Gate C18B, Terminal 3’s Gates G17 and K20, and Terminal 5’s Gate M13. [Terminal 5](https://ordairportguide.com/terminals/terminal-5/) has no walkway on the secure side, the airport says, so the bus is the only secure-side link.

## Terminal 5 outside the bus hours

Between 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 a.m., the airport’s only stated route is the train. Connecting passengers exit security, ride it and clear a TSA checkpoint at the other end.

The airport also routes the Blue Line, Metra and Pace buses through the train: from Terminal 5 you ride it to Terminal 2 or 3 for the Blue Line, and from any terminal you ride it to the Multi-Modal Facility for Metra and Pace.

A ride that works also needs an open checkpoint at the far end. Terminal 5’s Checkpoint 10 is the only checkpoint the airport lists open 24 hours, and our [security page](https://ordairportguide.com/security/) has the hours for the rest.

## Travelers Aid answers terminal-to-terminal questions

Travelers Aid Chicago says it helps with questions such as “How do you get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 5?” Its volunteers staff secure-side desks at Gates B6 and C18 in Terminal 1, Gate F4 in Terminal 2 and Gate K2 in Terminal 3. Terminal 5’s desk is near Gate M15. The desks run Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Travelers Aid page gives weekends as 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., while the Terminal Accessibility page lists the gate desks as 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., so plan on the earlier close. Our [information desks page](https://ordairportguide.com/amenities/information-desks/) also lists the lower-level desks in each terminal. Travelers Aid’s number is (773) 894-2427.

For the routes themselves, our [connections page](https://ordairportguide.com/connections/) lists the train’s hops between Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 5 and the Terminal Transfer Bus’s two routes, and our [Airport Transit System page](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/airport-transit-system/) lists the stations.

### Sources

- This site: [Airport Transit System](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/airport-transit-system/), [Terminal Transfer Bus](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/terminal-transfer-bus/), [Terminal 5](https://ordairportguide.com/terminals/terminal-5/), [Connecting flights](https://ordairportguide.com/connections/), [Information desks](https://ordairportguide.com/amenities/information-desks/), [Security checkpoints](https://ordairportguide.com/security/), [Can you walk between terminals after security](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/can-you-walk-between-ohare-terminals-after-security/)
- Chicago Department of Aviation: Airport Transit System page, transportation between terminals page, connecting traveler page, public transit page, Travelers Aid page, TSA information page and O’Hare International Airport terminal map