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For Supercomm 2005 attendees, the Chicago experience is often defined by how hard it can be to get around town. Cab lines at the airport, cab lines at the convention center, cab lines in front of the major hotels — all the city can seem like a cab line.

For those willing to use public transportation, though, it is possible to skip the cab line frequently, if not altogether. Because the system can be confusing, however, many people don't even try to take the trains available. Here's what we think you need to know: Chicago has multiple forms of public transit, including the Chicago Transit Authority and Metra. There are also suburban mass transit authorities, but we're going to skip those for now, to avoid unnecessary confusion.

The CTA operates both trains — sometimes known as ‘El’ lines for the elevated tracks — and buses, sometimes known as smelling, traffic-clogging monsters. Not all ‘El’ trains run above ground, however. Two major lines run underground in the downtown area.

Metra operates commuter trains — bigger, nicer and designed for longer travel — that serve distant and nearby suburbs but aren't as widely used to go from place to place downtown.

Both of Chicago's airports are served by a CTA line that will take you downtown, and, during rush hour at least, save you time in the process. And since Supercomm is held in June — at least a month before the CTA is threatening draconian cuts in service — you should expect to find trains and seats available at regular intervals.

The CTA has improved in many ways in recent years. Loud radios and food wrappers are no longer common, but you may find yourself stuck next to someone on a cell phone or an iPod user who's operating at full volume.

Train lines in Chicago are defined by color — the Blue Line serves O'Hare airport, and the Orange Line serves Midway airport. You can easily find information about CTA lines at www.transitchicago.com, but we would add a few words of caution: No matter what anyone tells you, CTA trains do not run on a schedule. They show up when they show up.

Having said that, the trains do run frequently during morning and evening rush hours, and they can be a convenient way to travel, depending on your destination. The CTA has a trip planner built into its Web site, so you might want to check out your options.

Both airports have ample signage directing you to the trains into the city. Once there, you will need to buy a fare card, which costs $1.75 per one-way trip. There are numerous downtown stops, and if none of them is right next to your hotel, at least the cab ride will be shorter.

None of the CTA lines comes particularly close to McCormick Place, however.

The only train serving McCormick is the Metra Electric Line, which comes right into the basement of the exhibit hall. Unlike the CTA, Metra runs its trains on schedule, and you can find the Metra Electric Line schedule online at http://metrarail.com/Sched/me/me.shtml.

You can board a southbound Metra Electric Line train to reach McCormick place from two stations on Michigan Avenue, one between Randolph and South Water streets, and one between Jackson and Van Buren streets. Both are close to many downtown hotels.

The fare between downtown Chicago and McCormick Place is $1.85 — you buy a fare card at the station — or you can purchase a 10-ride pass for $15.75, less than the cost of three cab rides from McCormick Place to downtown. Metra fares vary, depending on how far you are traveling, so if you are going farther than the Michigan Avenue stops, your fare will go up. More information about fares is on the Metra Web site.

If you are planning to venture north to see the Chicago Cubs play, the only way to travel is by the CTA's Red Line, which runs under State Street downtown, with numerous stops. Get off at Addison and follow the smell of hot dogs to Wrigley Field, a scant block from the train station. It will cost you $1.75 — the standard CTA fare — and not only save you time but give you the real feel of the urban baseball experience.

Most Cubs' games are sold out, but given the team's poor start this year, you are almost guaranteed to find scalpers selling tickets outside Wrigley at reasonably inflated prices, for once.