Taking train into Chicago

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm moving to Naperville, IL from Las Vegas, where I've lived for 8 years. I grew up in Southern California. I'm applying to several colleges as an undergraduate transfer student and I'm confident I'll get into at least a couple. </p>

<p>I've been told that many students commute via the trains and buses from the suburbs into the city to go to school. Moving to this region of the country will be a big change for me, and I'm basically interested in people's experiences with commuting from the suburbs to the city. Google maps tells me that the commute from where we'll be living to the city will be 1 hour and 40 minutes. Especially once the winters roll around, how practical and typical is this kind of commute? What can I expect? </p>

<p>Any input that anyone can offer will be appreciated! Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Well, the train sure beats driving. Driving from Naperville into Chicago is a bear almost anytime of the day or night, as the Eisenhower expressway can get jammed up almost anytime. Commuting in during the morning rush it’s guaranteed to be slow; I’d say 1 hr 40 minutes is optimistic. Might sometimes be shorter, but it could be longer.</p>

<p>Metra transit commuter trains (BNSF line) take about 35 minutes from Naperville into Chicago Union Station during the morning rush, same on the reverse trip during the evening rush. Off-peak they’re slower, about an hour or so, because they’re all-stops, but even that’s faster than driving. Trains run every 12-15 minutes during the rush hours, only about once an hour off-peak.</p>

<p>From Union Station you can hop a #60 CTA bus to the University of Illinois-Chicago; it takes about 10 minutes, and again the buses run every 8-10 minutes or so during rush hours, once every 15 minutes off-peak. Or you can hoof it, about a 20 minute walk, but I wouldn’t recommend that during the winter because you’ve got to cross an expressway and it can get awfully cold and windy out there.</p>

<p>Thousands of people take commuter rail into and out of Chicago every day; it’s a major part of the backbone of the regional transportation system. It’s safe, clean, and reliable, even in winter. You can read/study on the train. Some people catch a little shut-eye. Much less hassle than driving.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t recommend colleges farther out from the center, e.g., DePaul or Loyola on the North Side. Getting up there by public transit is going to add another 45 minutes to an hour to your trip; that’s just too much commuting each day. UIC’s your best bet. </p>

<p>Metra rail schedules here:</p>

<p>[Burlington</a> Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Schedule](<a href=“http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/metra_system_map/bnsf/schedule.html]Burlington”>http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/metra_system_map/bnsf/schedule.html)</p>

<p>CTA #60 bus schedule here:</p>

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<p>(Not sure why it says “Deprecated Browser Error” but I think the link works).</p>