We’ve featured the CTA holiday train before, but it’s been a few years. There’s a full train that they decorate at Christmas, with passenger cars and a flatbed car with Santa in a sleigh, and the train rotates between different el lines. This year a friend of mine from work had looked up when the holiday train would be on the blue line, and we got very lucky with the timing because it happened to be arriving at our stop at 4:22 on a Friday afternoon – perfect chance to cut out a bit early and grab some holiday cheer!
The train stays longer than typical in each station, which is good for allowing way more riders and way younger riders than usual time to get on and off. Also, it gives everyone on the platform a chance to wave at Santa. Here’s the view from the Cumberland platform before the train arrived.
The holiday train time banner has a candy cane by the time!
The thing about waiting on the holiday train is that all these perfectly good trains passed by first that we had no interest in, despite being nice and empty with lots of seats. But finally the Santa Express rolled in…
You can see in the pic below the open platform car that Santa rides on.
Here’s a CTA elf in our car
My friend Anna from work and me on the train
At Clark and Lake, where I changed to the green line and Anna switched to a non-holiday blue line, with festivity having run its course, we went to the Santa car.
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Anna and I have planned to do this again next year too. Most jolly commute ever!
We love it (Rory in particular!)! Bet it felt super boring to go back on your normal El!
What fun!!!
Took the Empire Builder to the Twin Cities today to visit my twin. Turned out that the Polar Express train to the North Pole was also leaving Union Station today. Apparently, an encouraged requirement to ride the Polar Express is to wear holiday pajamas. So a lot of parents and children in matching P.J.s. Quite the scene. Would love to read your account some year. You do an amusing job bringing these spectacles to life. Very entertaining reading. Thank you!