DYER — In a 3-1 vote Tuesday, the Town Council gave the green light to a resolution approving the West Lake commuter rail project with specific recommendations. Voting for that resolution were Debbie Astor, R-5th Ward; Jeff Dekker, R-2nd Ward, and Mary Tanis, R-4th Ward. Cathy J. Lareau, R-3rd Ward, voted against this version. Joe Cinko, D-1st Ward, was absent. One of three resolutions drawn up regarding the West Lake Corridor project for the special meeting, the approved 2017-06-A Resolution featured the South Shore’s preferred option to extend the railroad 9 miles south from a new Gateway station in Hammond to Main Street on the Munster-Dyer border.
The State of Indiana will subsidize the South Shore commuter line by around $16 million this year, according to the 2017 business plan adopted by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District’s Board of Trustees at its meeting Friday morning. Trustees voted unanimously to approve that plan.
The proposed West Lake Corridor could do more than expand the South Shore Line's commuter service. Planners believe it also would prompt new development – including housing, shopping and leisure -- around the four proposed rail stations on West Lake's route from Hammond to Dyer.
One of the most common arguments I hear against extending commuter rail service in Northwest Indiana is that if it hasn’t helped the northern tier communities along the existing route, so it won’t help those along the new route. I can’t disagree more with this reasoning. Northwest Indiana is something of an anomaly when it comes to commuter rail service. All it takes to see this is to look at the entire Chicago metro area, not just our sliver of it.The rail lines in Illinois snake out into thriving suburbs. Take a trip to Naperville if you want a good example of what can come from investing in commuter rail service. Naperville is about 30 miles from Chicago. Metra serves Naperville through the Burlington Northern Santa Fe route. The city has two train stations.