Public Transportation

The Central Street Neighborhood has been extremely well-served by frequent, reliable public transportation for decades. From Central Street, you can go almost anywhere — Old Orchard, the Loop, Northbrook Court, O'Hare or Midway — without a car. In the past 20 years, however, service cutbacks have made Sundays and evenings more of a challenge in that regard, so check before you set out.

CTA System Map (north section) Download entire CTA System Map

CTA Bus:

• CTA Route 201, connecting with Metra and CTA lines, runs the length of Central Street every 15 minutes in weekday rush hours, and every 20 minutes from 9:00-3:00, plus night owl and Saturday service. The comfy buses, well-heated in winter and air-conditioned in summer, usually have plenty of seats. The "northbound" buses go west on Central, out to Old Orchard shopping center. The "southbound" buses enter Central St. at Gross Point, proceed east all the way to the Lighthouse, then head south on Sheridan Road into downtown Evanston, then to Howard St., eventually turning around at Granville (6200 N.) & Broadway in Edgewater. When on schedule, it's only a 15-minute ride from north Evanston to Davis St. and connections to many area PACE and CTA buses. Click here to download a Route 201 map and schedule

• CTA Route 205 used to go along Golf Rd. from downtown Evanston, then up to Old Orchard and the Cook County Courthouse in Skokie, and back, and during peak hours used Grant Street to go to and from Evanston Township High School. Like 201, this route also went south from the Davis transportation center to Howard St. However, Route 205 was discontinued by the CTA and is no longer in service.

• CTA Route 206 is the "Evanston Circulator." It serves Central St. and connects to the "L" during rush hour; no service between ~9am and 2:30pm. Click here to download a Route 206 map and schedule

Pace Bus: PACE Route 213 runs in both directions along Green Bay Rd., from Northbrook Court to the Davis Street Station in downtown Evanston, with stops near New Trier High School, Ravinia Festival, and the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Click here for Route 213 schedules and info. Basic CTA bus fare is $1.75, which also gives you two transfers within two hours; PACE is $1.50 and transfers are 25¢. Discounts for students and seniors are available, as are monthly passes. The same farecard is good on both bus and the "L."

Metra Rail: The Union Pacific Railroad operates the former Chicago & Northwestern Railway line that parallels Green Bay Rd. The Central Street stop at Green Bay Rd. is extremely well-used by commuters into Evanston and Chicago; some express trains take only 24 minutes to the Loop. One-way fare to downtown Chicago is about $3, and ten-ride and monthly passes offer discounts to regular riders. Click here for a schedule of commuter trains stopping at Central St. • Click here to find a fare from Central St. on the Metra Union Pacific North Line (note: may need to disable popup blockers)

CTA Rail: The CTA elevated (or "L") Purple Line is a light-rail train that stops at Central Street between the canal and Ridge Rd., right at Evanston Hospital. You can take it north to Wilmette or south to 6 other Evanston stops and then on into Chicago. During peak hours, Purple Line express trains go all the way to downtown Chicago; at other times, you can transfer quickly at Howard Street. Basic rail fare is $2.50. This is the world's cheapest way to get to either O'Hare or Midway airport. Click here to download the schedule of CTA trains to/from Central St.