Residents along the South Shore Line between Gary and Michigan City will have three chances to see and comment on the railroad’s plan to build a second set of tracks between the two cities.
The 25.1-mile double-track project would improve speed and reliability along the South Shore Line, railroad officials have said.
“Making Chicago workplaces accessible is key,” Michael Noland, railroad president and general manager, said in a news release. “We believe double-tracking the South Shore will reshape the economic landscape from Hammond to South Bend by reducing travel times to Chicago, improving reliability and increasing train frequencies.”
With double tracks, Noland has said, trains could run both directions without delays, and a breakdown on one train wouldn’t stall all the trains behind it.
Public meetings on the project are scheduled for:
*Tuesday, Oct. 4, at the Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts, 540 S. Lake St., Gary.
*Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, 1215 N. Indiana 49, Porter.
*Thursday, Oct. 6, at Michigan City’s City Hall, 100 E. Michigan Blvd, Michigan City.
Each meeting is to run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with a presentation including maps and displays starting at 6:15.
After Oct. 4, people can comment online at www.DoubleTrackNWI.com, or by emailing [email protected].
The project includes new layouts at the Miller and Michigan City stations and improvements at other stations. At Miller, the changes include re-routing U.S. 12 and running the railroad along the former highway route.
In Michigan City, the tracks would no longer be embedded in the streets, some street crossings would be closed, and the station at 11th Street would have expanded parking.
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The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which runs the South Shore Line, is applying for a Federal Transit Authority grant, which would pay for about half of the project’s estimated $210 million cost.
Tim Zorn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.