Exactly what I was looking for.  
By: Yuriy Shefer - Sep 21, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
Does not need wifi, includes travel advisories from CTA (as in the status of repairs on all the lines). Tran maps are detailed and show the correct train direction in the loop. Also includes the OFFICIAL arrival times (not real time) but is good to let me know if I should take the purple or the red line in the loop. This map is for CTA L only, as it does not have busses or street names, but I don't need that. I only use the trains and know what the street names are. This is perfect for me and well worth the 2 bucks I paid for it.

Exactly what I was looking for.  
By: Yuriy Shefer - Sep 21, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
Does not need wifi, includes travel advisories from CTA (as in the status of repairs on all the lines). Tran maps are detailed and show the correct train direction in the loop. Also includes the OFFICIAL arrival times (not real time) but is good to let me know if I should take the purple or the red line in the loop. This map is for CTA L only, as it does not have busses or street names, but I don't need that. I only use the trains and know what the street names are. This is perfect for me and well worth the 2 bucks I paid for it.

Helpful for someone form the 'burbs  
By: Christof1969 - Jul 2, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
Very helpful app, especially for being able to view the maps and schedules while offline (since the red and blue lines are often without signal underground). I also wish that the app would show scheduling in a manner similar to the iTrans Metra app, but I realize that with the CTA being late enough sometimes that a train takes the place of the next one on the schedule that this might be impossible. It's had a big price drop since I bought it at $5, but it was worth it even then. Improvements could only help it be even more useful!

Pretty good but room for improvement  
By: NUWildcat - Sep 30, 2008
Version: 1.3
I give the developers credit; working with the CTA is a hassle. If one is familiar with the stops and, more generally the different lines, it works well. Do not expect it to function as a trip planner, but I didn't feel it was sold that way. It is a good start but needs refinement: maybe an overlap of streets, if not a full street map. Also, there is no way to enter an address and find the closest stop at one's destination. One must have a basic understanding of the EL to appreciate this app. Without that understanding it is moderately useless. Don't expect it to help a user find a route to any attraction without knowing that attraction's nearest stop. Good stuff for locals though!

Helpful for someone form the 'burbs  
By: Christof1969 - Jul 2, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
Very helpful app, especially for being able to view the maps and schedules while offline (since the red and blue lines are often without signal underground). I also wish that the app would show scheduling in a manner similar to the iTrans Metra app, but I realize that with the CTA being late enough sometimes that a train takes the place of the next one on the schedule that this might be impossible. It's had a big price drop since I bought it at $5, but it was worth it even then. Improvements could only help it be even more useful!

Exactly what I was looking for.  
By: Yuriy Shefer - Sep 21, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
Does not need wifi, includes travel advisories from CTA (as in the status of repairs on all the lines). Tran maps are detailed and show the correct train direction in the loop. Also includes the OFFICIAL arrival times (not real time) but is good to let me know if I should take the purple or the red line in the loop. This map is for CTA L only, as it does not have busses or street names, but I don't need that. I only use the trains and know what the street names are. This is perfect for me and well worth the 2 bucks I paid for it.

Really Great  
By: Smartermark - Sep 28, 2008
Version: 1.3
This app will really help you get around on the CTA. Keep up the great work!

Works great  
By: cavs man - Oct 9, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
Great app for the best city in the world! Wish it had street names tho.

Exactly what I was looking for.  
By: Yuriy Shefer - Sep 21, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
Does not need wifi, includes travel advisories from CTA (as in the status of repairs on all the lines). Tran maps are detailed and show the correct train direction in the loop. Also includes the OFFICIAL arrival times (not real time) but is good to let me know if I should take the purple or the red line in the loop. This map is for CTA L only, as it does not have busses or street names, but I don't need that. I only use the trains and know what the street names are. This is perfect for me and well worth the 2 bucks I paid for it.

Helpful for someone form the 'burbs  
By: Christof1969 - Jul 2, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
Very helpful app, especially for being able to view the maps and schedules while offline (since the red and blue lines are often without signal underground). I also wish that the app would show scheduling in a manner similar to the iTrans Metra app, but I realize that with the CTA being late enough sometimes that a train takes the place of the next one on the schedule that this might be impossible. It's had a big price drop since I bought it at $5, but it was worth it even then. Improvements could only help it be even more useful!

Great design but badly needs map update to reflect service changes.  
By: TransitGeek - Feb 22, 2009
Version: 1.5.1
Their system map is actually cleaner, better designed and easier to read than the CTA's official map.
But an update is badly needed to reflect the reopening of the Damen station (Brown Line) and a change of the Purple Line direction (now clockwise) around the loop.

Great App  
By: Z - Oct 13, 2008
Version: 1.3
Very handy app to have when trying to get around Chicago.
It would be great if it had an underlying street map like the NYC version.

Pretty good but room for improvement  
By: NUWildcat - Sep 30, 2008
Version: 1.3
I give the developers credit; working with the CTA is a hassle. If one is familiar with the stops and, more generally the different lines, it works well. Do not expect it to function as a trip planner, but I didn't feel it was sold that way. It is a good start but needs refinement: maybe an overlap of streets, if not a full street map. Also, there is no way to enter an address and find the closest stop at one's destination. One must have a basic understanding of the EL to appreciate this app. Without that understanding it is moderately useless. Don't expect it to help a user find a route to any attraction without knowing that attraction's nearest stop. Good stuff for locals though!

Nice app  
By: Paul0123 - Sep 28, 2008
Version: 1.3
It's a map with built in search and a locator function. Simple, but effective. I like it. Well done.

Helpful for someone form the 'burbs  
By: Christof1969 - Jul 2, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
Very helpful app, especially for being able to view the maps and schedules while offline (since the red and blue lines are often without signal underground). I also wish that the app would show scheduling in a manner similar to the iTrans Metra app, but I realize that with the CTA being late enough sometimes that a train takes the place of the next one on the schedule that this might be impossible. It's had a big price drop since I bought it at $5, but it was worth it even then. Improvements could only help it be even more useful!

Good but could be improved  
By: alecito2k - Sep 2, 2009
Version: 1.7.3
I use iTrans CTA often, and so far it has been a great app. However, I see that the Metra version shows times of arrival (to each station along the route) and this version doesn't. There is also no way to change the current start time while looking for directions. I

Dead Simple, No Frills Travel App.  
By: flatmacsurf - Jun 13, 2009
Version: 1.7.1
Downloaded this today and used while maneuvering around the city tonight. It is very simple and easy to use. I found it perfect for a newbie to Chicago public transportation like myself. I can see more experienced El riders finding nothing new or worthwhile in this version for them. I'd love to see some options for attractions, shops or restaurants near each stop with some street directions as well. For what the App. does offer, I think it was worth the $1.99 that I paid.

Goood but,  
By: Mocha pug - Apr 7, 2009
Version: 1.7
It would be nice if this app could get you from a certain location in the city to the closest L stop

could be more, but useful  
By: Alk3cringe - Oct 2, 2008
Version: 1.3
10/2/08
im a college student who takes the train every day. it helps for arrival times, actually very acuate. but theres not too much to it. i like the feature of showing it in google maps. but it lacks busses as mentioned.
4 stars easy when busses are added and 5 stars if you can get directions for places outside of a CTA line (I.e. how to get to oak park blue line stop to the metro/Wriggly field- not just take blue-ohear to jackson, transfer to red, red to addison. it should follow after this, *take two bocks west on addison to... etc...* after stop.
but for 5 bucks, its nice to have. not dissapointing but not to great.

Stripped down compared to iTrans Metra  
By: bonmot - Sep 28, 2008
Version: 1.3
This review uses another Chicago-area product by iTrans as a basepoint for comparison. Essentially, I was expecting the same functionality when I bought this product, but with a different system (CTA versus Metra). This is not the case. I hope the developers will beef it up to match or exceed that of their other products. Then it could be a 5* application.
iTrans Metra works like this - when you click on a station appearing on a nicely rendered system map, it will tell you the next few inbound and outbound departure times. You then click on the direction you want to go (e.g., inbound toward Union Station), and it will show you a diagram with all of the stops oriented in a vertical manner (in the case of the BNSF inbound route, Aurora at the top and Union Station at the bottom), Next to each station is the time the train is scheduled to arrive at that location. This way, if you hop on the next train, you'll know when it's going to arrive in Naperville, Downers Grove, LaGrange, Riverside, etc.). If you want to see the times for the next route, you can page through a few options by clicking a right arrow at the top of the page.
You can also plan a route by station, and it will give you the overall time (and the next few departure times) for your journey, including transfers. Note: it doesn't let you input your real destination, just the name of a train station. There is not even a provision for positively identifying the closest station to your destination's location. You will have to look at a map to find this info out for yourself.
This is not what you get with iTrans CTA. You start the same way, by clicking on a station. Then, like the Metra version, you get a list of the next few departures, thoughtfully labeled by the end-of-the-line stations like 95th or Howard. Here's where the product breaks down. Once you click on the direction you want to travel, you just get a list of stations without scheduled arrival times. Since there are no arrival times, you aren't able to page to the right to see the next option, and when it will get there. This is a major limitation as compared to the Metra version, in my opinion.
If the developers make it on par with the Metra version, I'd give it 4 stars. If they can do something about translating real-world addresses, landmarks and businesses into nearest stations the system map, it might be a 5 star program.