A 2.5% across the board capital fare increase approved by the NICTD Board last year will take effect on July 1. Click here for a complete list of new fares.
The South Shore Line weekday train schedule will change on July 1, 2017. The new schedule affects the following trains:
LAPORTE — LaPorte County government is paying its entire share of the cost for the proposed upgrades to the South Shore commuter line with cash up front, and Michigan City's $12.1 million share received preliminary approval this week. The estimated $290 million project still hinges on the federal government approving funding for one-half the entire cost. The LaPorte County Council unanimously decided Tuesday to take $5 million out of the county's major bridge fund and the remaining $1.1 million from the county's emergency reserve fund to cover its portion of the expense.
St. Joseph County and South Bend have averaged modest population growth each of the past four years, but they’ve trailed the state of Indiana’s growth rate, according to recently released Census Bureau estimates. City, county and business leaders say they have a prime opportunity to change that by double-tracking part of the South Shore Line, which would eliminate the need for the passenger line to wait for oncoming freight trains, and realigning the South Shore’s approach to South Bend International Airport. They say the work, when finished in 2020, will reduce the South Bend-to-Chicago trip from its current 2.5 hours to 90 minutes, and possibly down to 75 minutes on a special limited-stop trip each weekday morning and evening.
About ten years ago I biked with a friend from Chicago to Hammond, Indiana—a 30-mile ride that was made especially easy by a strong tailwind. We could take the train back, my friend assured me, which was a relief because I'd been having knee problems and wasn't up for a return cycling trip. Unfortunately, she turned out to be wrong: when we wheeled into the station we found signs clearly stating that bikes were allowed on trains only if they were packed into boxes. The station didn't sell boxes, and even if it had, we didn't have the right tools with us to disassemble our bikes. It was a long trip back, riding into a wind that seemed to grow stronger with every turn of our pedals.
MERRILLVILLE — The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority on Thursday committed $3 million annually to the South Shore Line's Double Track project, part of a $290 million effort to add a second set of tracks between Gary and Michigan City and to shift the tracks out of the center of the street in the latter community. The allocation constitutes Lake and Porter counties' share of the project. The annual payment would continue for 30 years, unless the project's bonds are retired earlier. LaPorte County has decided to pay its share of the project upfront, as allowed by legislation enacted at this year's Indiana General Assembly, with an $18.25 million contribution from the county and Michigan City.
