Getting to Chicago from South Bend

South Bend is about 95 miles from the Loop, and it has something most cities that size don't, an electric train that runs straight into downtown Chicago. That's the South Shore Line, and it's the best way to make this trip in either direction. Driving takes about as long, and you can fly, but on a route this short it rarely makes sense.

Whichever way you go, keep the clocks in mind. South Bend is on Eastern Time and Chicago is on Central, so it's an hour earlier in Chicago.

The South Shore Line

The South Shore Line is one of the last interurban railroads left in the country, and its trains have been running to South Bend since 1908. They run between the South Bend International Airport station, at 4477 Progress Dr. on the airport grounds about three miles northwest of downtown, and Millennium Station in Chicago, at 151 E. Randolph St. under Millennium Park. In Chicago it also stops at Van Buren Street, Museum Campus/11th Street and 57th Street in Hyde Park, so pick whichever is closest to your hotel.

A second track between Gary and Michigan City opened in 2024, and most trips now take about two hours, some a little less. Trains run through the day, fewer on weekends. Check the timetable, which lists South Bend times in Eastern Time and every other station in Central. A full-fare one-way ticket from South Bend to Chicago is $15.75 (fare table). Buy it in the South Shore app or from the machine at the station, since you pay a $1 penalty for buying on board when a ticket agent was on duty where you got on. On weekends, holidays and off-peak weekday trains, up to three kids 13 and under ride free with a parent or guardian 21 or older.

From the airport station, Transpo's Route 4 bus runs downtown, and from there Route 7 goes to Notre Dame (Notre Dame transportation). The South Shore's 20-year plan, approved in August 2026, includes a shuttle line to downtown South Bend and the Amtrak station, but if it gets built, it's years away.

Amtrak

Two long-distance Amtrak trains stop at South Bend's Amtrak station at 2702 W. Washington St., on the west side of town. The Lake Shore Limited (to New York and Boston) and the Floridian (to Washington and Miami) each run once a day, and the ride to Chicago Union Station takes about an hour and a half to two hours. The catch is timing. Both trains head into Chicago in the morning, but heading out they reach South Bend in the evening and around midnight. The first version of this page said Amtrak ran several trains a day for under $20. With trains every couple of hours through the day, the South Shore is the one to plan around now.

By bus

FlixBus and Greyhound list four trips a day, and the fastest take about two hours and 40 minutes. In South Bend they stop outside Transpo's South Street Station at 100 W. South St. downtown. In Chicago, they use the Greyhound station at 630 W. Harrison St. or the curbside stop outside Union Station, depending on the trip. It's slower than the train and not always cheaper, but the downtown stop is handier if you're staying in South Bend itself.

Flying

From South Bend International, United Express flies to O'Hare. American Eagle is back on the route from October 2026, replacing the Landline motorcoach American had been running to O'Hare instead of flights. The flight takes under an hour, and it's worth booking only as part of a longer trip, when you're connecting at O'Hare. On its own, once you add airport security and the Blue Line ride in from O'Hare, it's no quicker than the South Shore to downtown.

Driving

It's about 95 miles, almost all on the Indiana Toll Road (I-80/90) and then the Chicago Skyway into the city. Plan on an hour and a half to two hours, and more on a Friday afternoon or a Notre Dame home football weekend. Traffic builds through Gary and again where the Skyway feeds into the Dan Ryan. Both toll roads take E-ZPass and I-PASS. Downtown parking is expensive, so see getting to Chicago for tips, or leave the car in South Bend and take the train.

Photo by mobilene