Blue line in August?
 

I've used google to check the schedule of the Blue line from O'Hare to the city center.

In June and July google gives me a simple non-stop, around 40 minute connection. Starting August 1st, however, this becomes a 2+ hour trip with connections. The CTA website does not list any advisories for August yet.

Is this a glitch on google, or will it be (near) impossible to use the blue line to get from the airport to the city starting on August 1st?

Thanks for your input,

HTB

What specific dates in August and what's your destination station? There is a major blue line improvement project that's ongoing, and it's my understanding that there will be construction/delays at least one weekend in August.

Google wants you to take the Mannheim Pace bus to the Bellwood Metra stop, which is absurd. I'm assuming this is just a glitch, or Google is still waiting for the CTA to load their August schedule.

You will be able to take the Blue Line into the city just fine. The only possible detour, as chgoeditor mentioned, might be some track work being done between stations on the way into the city on the weekend of August 8-10. If that happens, there will be a well-marked transfer to a shuttle bus that will take you to the next station, where you can continue your journey. Should only add 10-15 minutes to your journey.

Thanks for your answers! We'll arrive on the 2nd and depart on the 5th, so everything should be fine I guess. I wouldn't mind a shuttle bus transfer, but the suggested route by google originally made us consider taking a rental car...

HTB.

Hah. In your dreams. I was caught on a shuttle between California and Damen a few weeks ago. Friday evening, several cross streets were closed because of the track work. It was gridlock and the CTA tried to send big bendy buses through the middle of it. It took FOREVER.

Yeah, I walked through the Damen / Milwaukee intersection that afternoon. It was a total mess, and those shuttle busses were not going anywhere. I would just consider the Blue Line to be out of service that weekend.

I haven't gotten stuck myself, but have heard the horror stories as well.

OP, I'd check a couple weeks prior to your trip to see if there are closures that weekend. If so, post for some suggestions. To save some on cab, you could ride up to the closure point, then grab a cab from there to your hotel instead of taking the shuttle bus.

I think I was out drinking at the corner of Milwaukee and Western that weekend, did look like something of a parking lot northbound on Milwaukee :D

However, I believe that was because Damen AND Western were closed that weekend, which dumped a ton of traffic onto Milwaukee -- from conversations with civil engineering friends, that shouldn't be the case come August, hence my lower estimate.

The good news, OP, is that you're coming in for the first weekend, when there's no track work currently scheduled. That may change, given that they postponed next weekend's work due to the construction on the Kennedy, so keep an eye on the alerts page as glg mentioned, but as of now you're in the clear.