The CTA's Orange connects Midway Airport with Chicago's loop. The line is in operation from 4am to midnight.

They newest of the CTA's lines, the Orange Line celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2003. Because of its young age, all of the non-loop stations are accessible.

Below is a text map of the Orange Line's route. Please keep in mind that it is not to scale. Traffic is two-way in all areas of the map, except in the loop, where trains travel clockwise (along the inside of the loop). Stations are marked with either an o or a (T). The latter represents a free transfer station. Mouse-over the (T) to see which lines you can transfer to at that station.

   Brown Line.
     north to.
      Kimball.  C  S
             .  L  T
  Purple Line.  A  A
     north to.  R  T
       Linden.  K  E
             .
Green Line...+-(T)(T)-+
west to      |        | 
Harlem-Lake  |        o RANDOLPH
 WASHINGTON (T)       | 
             |        o MADISON
             |        | 
      QUINCY o       (T) ADAMS
             |        |    
             +-o--(T)-+                     
                      |
               L   L  |                      
               A   I  |
               S   B  |
               A   R (T)ROOSEVELT/WABASH
               L   A  | 
               L   R  |
               E   Y  +.
                     / . Green Line South to
                    /  . Ashland-63rd and
           HALSTED o   . East 63rd
                  /    .
                 /
                o ASHLAND
               /
              o 35/ARCHER
             /
            |
            |
  KEDZIE o--o WESTERN
        /
       o PULASKI
      /
     |
     o MIDWAY - MDW

Things to note:

  • All stations have some form of warming-shelter on their platforms. Usually, there is a bus-shelter with heat lamps. Though these are not the best in the world, they do provide some warmth and protection from the wind during the winter.
  • Most stations have Pepsi vending machines (20 oz $1.00), and some also have convenience stores.
  • The CTA uses electric trains, which run off of power from a third rail. Therefore, it is imperative that you stay off the tracks!
  • All train cars have an intercom system to the motorman, located on a panel next to the wheelchair-accessible seat by the cab of each car. This can be used in an emergency, or by customers with disabilities to alert the motorman to wait until they have exited the train.

Credit to: http://www.transitchicago.com, http://www.chicago-l.org, personal knowledge.