Ribbon cutting set for South Shore Double Track project
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Federal, state and local officials will gather in northwest Indiana on Monday to mark the grand opening of the South Shore Double Track project.
The $649 million project, which is more than eight years in the making, adds a second rail line along a 17-mile stretch between Michigan City and Gary, reducing travel time from northwest Indiana to downtown Chicago by about 30 minutes.
Construction on the project began in June 2022, and operators began testing the track last September.
In addition to the new track, the project included four new bridges; eight new platforms at stations in Gary, Portage, Chesterton, Beverly Shores and Michigan City; nearly 1,500 new parking spaces at four of the stations, and the closure of 21 roadway rail crossings in Michigan City.
The project was funded by $197 million in federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration and the American Rescue Program. The remaining funds include $340 million in state funding, $80 million in local funding, and up to $30 million from the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which manages the South Shore Line.
South Shore Line CEO Mike Noland told Inside INdiana Business Host Gerry Dick a year ago that the project is already generating big investment in the region.
In addition to the connectivity aspect, Noland said the project will make northwest Indiana a destination for people to relocate.
“It gives us an opportunity to attract talent, to keep our young people here, to attract folks who want a job in Chicago, get the higher wage…but they’re looking for a place to live where they can commute easily to the city,” he said. “We’ve always had great quality of place. Now we can unlock the potential and cut down that commute time to and from Chicago just over an hour from here, and you could be right at Lake Michigan and enjoy the beauty of northwest Indiana.”
Noland will be joined at the grand opening by Gov. Eric Holcomb; Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.; Congressmen Rudy Yakim, R-Ind., and Frank Mrvan, D-Ind.; Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority President Sherri Ziller, and Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Smith.
We’ll have more on the grand opening in Monday’s INside Edge Midday Report newsletter.