Santa Comes To Uptown By Train and Bus Next Week

That Santa, he gets around. Chicagoans know he's an annual rider of the CTA buses and L.  Next week, he'll be around Uptown using both methods of transportation.

photo courtesy of CTA's Flickr account

The CTA Holiday Train travels the Red and Purple Lines starting Tuesday, December 15th. No exact times have been released yet, but we'll post as soon as they are.  Here are the days to look for it:

• Tuesday, December 15 - Red Line
• Wednesday, December 16 - Purple Line
• Thursday, December 17 - Red Line
• Friday, December 18 - Purple Line
• Saturday, December 19 - Red Line & Purple Line (photo day)
• Tuesday, December 22 - Purple Line

CTA says:  "Travel Tips. To ensure everyone has an opportunity to see and take part in this annual tradition, here are a few suggested tips to make the most of your Sprint CTA Holiday Train experience:

• Travel light: with many families making the train a part of their holiday traditions, small collapsible strollers are encouraged so that you and others have an opportunity to board the train.
• Boarding: the train will become more crowded as it travels down the rail line; therefore, we recommend customers consider the following:

• Board at a station close to the beginning of the route. Unlike other in-service trains, many people who board the train often stay on board until it reaches the terminal—and will take it back home if the train is scheduled to make a return trip.

• Rail cars toward the front or back of the train will be less crowded compared to those immediately adjacent to Santa’s sleigh.

• Taking photos: if you are planning to ride the train and take photos from a station platform, don’t miss your opportunity to board the train! Board the train first and then plan to take photos of Santa or the train when exiting at your destination. The Sprint CTA Holiday Train is an in-service train and has to maintain a service schedule; therefore it cannot dwell at stations for long periods of time."

But wait, there's more! CTA is currently running the Holiday Bus on various routes around the city. It has a Ralphie the Reindeer wrap, a red nose that lights up, and antlers (antlers!!). But the best part is inside: Santa sits in the back next to a fireplace and decorated trees.

You can track it in real time using BusTracker to see its schedule. Its daily routes are here.

It will be in Uptown on Saturday and Sunday, December 19th and 20th:

• Saturday, December 19: #22 Clark - Departs Howard Terminal at 12:45pm.  Photo time will be made available at the Howard Bus Terminal approximately 6:30pm –7:30pm
• Sunday, December 20: #22 Clark - Departs Howard Terminal at 2:30pm