Transit officials are trying to soften the blow of the 5-month shutdown of the Red Line by offering additional fare cards designed to make getting around the construction mess easier.
The CTA, Metra and Pace are offering combined fare deals from $52-$74 that include a CTA/Pace 5-day passes and Metra 10-ride tickets. The cost of the package depends on which zone you travel in.
The prepackaged tickets are available at the usual retail outlets where transit tickets are sold.
Metra officials encourage CTA Red Line passengers at the southern end of the line to take either the Metra Electric line, which runs east of the Red Line to Van Buren Station and Millennium Station downtown, or the Metra Rock Island line, which runs west of the Red Line to downtown's LaSalle St. Station.
Chicago White Sox officials say they aren't worried about the construction affecting attendance, but the team is offering $10 discounts on select seats during this weekend's series against the Boston Red Sox. Type in the code "SOXCTA" on Ticketmaster in order to get the deal.
The Red Line will be completely shut down between Cermak/Chinatown and 95th Street in order to make improvements to the track.
The CTA created redlinesouth.com to help commuters find their way around as routes change depending on the day and time.
