With Double Track complete and the West Lake Corridor well underway, the South Shore Line is looking ahead to its next round of priorities. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) board voted Monday to issue a request for proposals for a new 20-year strategic plan.
NICTD President Mike Noland said most of the big-ticket items from the 2014 plan have already been addressed. Now, it's time to start looking toward what's next — like whether the board is interested in expanding service to downtown South Bend or future phases of West Lake.
"Is it still in the vision of the board to go down to Lowell, St. John and Cedar Lake? We should find out that. There are discussions about service to Valparaiso that was discussed all along," Noland noted.
He said the strategic plan would be a chance to get input from board members, as well as other stakeholders.
Board member and Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas would like planners to look at population projections to see where rail service could be most helpful. "You look around Crown Point, I mean, that could explode because it's so near to the border," Costas said. "Then, of course, we've got some migration from Illinois this way [in Porter County]. That will probably continue but at what extent?"
Costas also wants to look for opportunities to partner with the private sector. He said the parking lot that Valpo Transit shares with Journeyman Distillery has been beneficial for both parties.
Noland said the railroad needs to look not only at expanding service, but also at how to maintain its current operations. He noted that the core of its rail car fleet will be nearing the end of its life span in the next decade.
"That's coming," Noland said. "That's going to be something we need to do. And we're also going to need to look at facilities."
Board chairman and Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Smith said he would like to find ways to make the railroad safer for riders and the communities it runs through.
Still, the South Shore Line has some more immediate plans.
Noland hopes to revisit the railroad's fare structure this year. He thinks there should be a bigger price difference for shorter trips versus longer ones.
"We want to encourage more in-Indiana, back-and-forth travel, so that we're not pricing people out," Noland explained.
He also believes weekends are a growth market, and he'd like to add a couple more round trips. "We have a four-hour gap between trains on Saturdays and Sundays," Noland told board members. "We need to plug that gap."
He said customers have repeatedly asked for more weekend trains.
