Chicago's Free Trolley System (CLOSED) in Chicago, IL

Chicago's Free Trolley System (CLOSED)3510

in Chicago, IL

about Chicago's Free Trolley System (CLOSED):

Chicago's Free Trolleys used to offer daily service to some of the city's most popular museums, shopping destinations and visitor attractions. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the free trolleys will travel to and from Navy Pier, the Museum Campus, Lincoln Park Zoo, Michigan Avenue, State Street and the Chinatown/Pilsen neighborhoods, with many stops in between.

Most trolleys run every 20 minutes and provide convenient connections to CTA, Metra and Amtrak stations, where Trolley schedules are usually available.

Green, Gold, Red: The Metra/Shopping/Museums/Navy Pier Lines run daily from 10am to 6pm.

Blue Square: The Navy Pier trolley runs daily during Pier hours.

Brown Circle and Purple Diamond: The Lincoln Park Shuttle and Express trolleys operate from 11am to 7pm weekends and holidays.

Orange Octagon: The Chinatown/Pilsen trolley operates from 10am to 6pm weekends and holidays.

Chicago's Free Trolleys are easy to use. No ticket or reservation is needed - simply catch a trolley at stop marked by a "Free Trolley" sign. The Free Trolleys are marked with signs in their front windows. Riders must board 30 minutes before service ends. [1.877.CHICAGO]

Each trolley route is served by trolleys accessible to people with physical disabilities. And, trolleys can accommodate a stroller when it is folded.

The free trolleys in Chicago are still operating as of two weekends ago. My husband and I took a couple to get to our parking spot after trying to catch some of the Transformers filming. However, they do get crowded quickly particularly by Navy Pier, so plan accordingly. Give yourself a time buffer between events.

pattysmiles65

added: 08/05/2010

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The trolley is a seasonal service. It runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It's still open, but only during the summer and on special holidays. I don't know where Fact Checker is going for information, but it's not "permanently discontinued" at all.

megret

added: 07/04/2010

I went online to check out the trolley info & found this message from City of Chicago:
Chicago's Free Trolleys--service discontinued
ChicagoÃ¢Â?Â?s Free Trolley service has been permanently discontinued in 2009. The city no longer offers any free trolley service.

Navy PierÃ¢Â?Â?s own trolley (serving the Pier and the CTA Red Line's Grand station) will continue to operate. For more Navy Pier trolley information visit: www.navypier.com

You need to update your website.

Pat 7-24-09

My family and I live in Lake County and love coming downtown and using the trolleys. Sometimes we have to wait up to 20 minutes, sometimes less. We usually try to time ourselves so that the wait isn't long, especially because of small children. However, I would have appreciated a sign posted indicating free trolley days when we came downtown during our spring break, which didn't coincide with Chicago's week off. We stood in line with several other families waiting for a trolley. We ended up taking a bus to our musuem destination.

Monica

The information desk attendant at the Field museum told me about the trolley and provided me a map. We used it 4 times and only had one wait that lasted 20 minutes the other 3 times we had no wait at all (this was on a weekday). My kids loved it and so did my pocket book. This is a great amenity for out of town tourists that don't feel comfortable with using the CTA or driving in the city.

Eric

A fun and free way to get around the city as an alternative to the CTA busses. The kids love it! If you bring a stroller, make it a small one that folds easily, and be sure all of your bags are out before you load. The lines can get long, so don't wait until the kids get cranky to plan your route back home!

anonymous

I have to agree with the last poster. The free trolley service can not be relied upon. Always have a back up plan to get back to the train station. We went to Navy Pier last year and had to wait almost an hour and a half for a trolley to take us back to Union Station. About a dozen trolleys went by to take people to shopping, but the trolleys to take people to the train stations are few and far between. Not a fun wait with tired and cranky little kids. Next time, when we need to return to the train station, we will use whatever comes first whether it is a bus or trolley.

eBob

While this may seem to be a great way for someone from the suburbs to get to the main Chicago attractions, the service is unreliable. Always plan ahead to take a CTA bus in the event of problems with the trolley service. Specifically, we used the trolley service to get from Union Station to the Field Museum. When we were ready to return to Union Station, there was a long line for the trolley. When a trolley would arrive, there would only be enough room for two or three people. While they claim that trolleys run every 20 minutes, they realistically run every 45 minutes. After waiting over an hour to take the trolley back, we hopped a CTA bus to get back to the train station.

The Chicago free trolley was a great way for me and my son to get around Chicago over the summer. We are from a Chicago suburb and the large open windows provided a great way to experiance Chicago's sky scrappers and the Lake front. We were able to take the trolley to the zoo and the Water Tower area. And best of all it's FREE.

XLCR

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