Northwest Indiana's commuter rail improvements continue to move forward.
The project to double track the South Shore Line between Gary and Michigan City is almost 79-percent complete. Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) President Mike Noland says testing is currently underway on the Dune Park-to-Michigan City section, and it should reopen soon.
"We have to make sure that it's safe for commuter operations," Noland told the NICTD board Monday. "We're working on that right now."
The full second track is scheduled to enter service next May.
The new West Lake Corridor branch from Hammond to Dyer is seeing some challenges. Discussions with CSX regarding overpasses for the new line have slowed down the project, while environmental remediation in North Hammond and improvements requested by local communities have raised the cost by about $27 million.
Still, Noland said those increases were not unexpected, and the project is now about 35-percent complete. "I'm cautiously optimistic that we're going to hit [the target date] May of '25," Noland added.
Meanwhile, environmental studies and some engineering work on a new route to South Bend Airport should be done by early next year, allowing the railroad to apply for federal funding. The NICTD board also agreed Monday to amend its strategic plan to allow for a future extension to downtown South Bend. Board chair and Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Smith said the extension could put Indiana in a good position for the future, but they need to make sure it's economically viable.
