Getting Here | Downtown Evanston

Welcome to Evanston! Located just north of Chicago, along the shores of Lake Michigan, our vibrant city is easily accessible by train, bus, car and bike from neighboring communities or Chicago’s two major airports.

Trains

Evanston is served by two train systems. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) purple line elevated trains make 7 stops in Evanston. During peak commute times, these trains run express from downtown Chicago, so you can get to Evanston even faster. If you’re flying into O’Hare airport (blue line train) or Midway airport (orange line train), you’ll first take your train to downtown Chicago, then connect to the purple line train to head north to Evanston.

Metra is the suburban commuter rail system for the Chicagoland area. The Union Pacific North line makes 3 stops in Evanston. Learn more.

Buses

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has 4 bus routes to help you get to the busiest parts of Evanston:

You can track buses with the CTA Bus Tracker.

Pace, the suburban system, also has 5 routes:

You can track buses with the Pace Bus Tracker.

Biking

Whether you enjoy leisurely biking or are a biking enthusiast, you will find numerous bike-related amenities in downtown Evanston. There are ample bike racks on sidewalks and in the parking garages, dedicated bike lanes, a bike tune-up station at First Bank & Trust, and Wheel & Sprocket, a very resourceful bike shop.

Downtown Evanston is also home to a Divvy Station on Benson Ave. nearby the CTA Station. In 2017, over 9,000 bike share trips either started or ended at the Divvy Station at Benson St. & Church St. Click here to learn more.

If you are interested in learning more about biking in Evanston, reach out to GoEvanston, an organization that promotes bike and pedestrian safety in Evanston. This site includes information about local events, plans and projects, bike safety videos, and maps. The City of Evanston also has information about biking including a map of bike routes and bicycle registration program.

Please be considerate when you are in downtown Evanston by walking your bike on sidewalks in downtown Evanston. Note that biking on sidewalks is not allowed in the downtown business district. Please review the bike lanes and routes here.