The South Shore Line's Double Track service is expected to open in the next few weeks. The project will add a second track between Gary and Michigan City.
Trains will once again run between Dune Park and Gary Metro Center, starting April 9. Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District President Mike Noland says that's the first time they've run the entire line in more than two years.
"We've been, over the last few weeks, running our employees up and down the rail line to do physical characteristics training because it's a brand new railroad," Noland told the NICTD board Monday.
It also means new, high-level station platforms will open at Miller and Portage/Ogden Dunes, making them more accessible to passengers using wheelchairs or those who want to take their bikes on the train.
Noland said the official ribbon cutting won't take place until around May 14. That's when the railroad plans to update its schedule, adding seven new trains in each direction. That will allow for hourly service for much of the day.
"One of the things that we had was that we had gaps in our schedule, both to and from Chicago, and so we lost a lot of folks who were going to go down for a single business day," Noland explained.
He said Double Track is nearing completion on time and under budget.
Still, he admitted there have been some challenges. The start of the project was delayed about six months after bids came in significantly higher than expected in 2021. The railroad was able to bring costs down by shutting down portions of the line during the work, requiring trains to be replaced by buses since February of 2022.
On Monday, the board approved a change order for $1.15 million to resolve most of the remaining disputed claims with the contractors. That brings the contract price to $382 million. Noland said NICTD was able to mitigate supply chain issues by purchasing a lot of material in advance.
