Officials in Gary marked the 40th anniversary of the Adam Benjamin Metro Center by announcing an expansion of intercity bus service.
With Greyhound Lines' lease at its Chicago terminal set to expire this month, it's been putting together plans to have more of its buses use the Gary station on their way to and from Chicago. Greyhound, along with the city and the Gary Public Transportation Corporation, celebrated that expansion Thursday, while providing few additional details.
Greyhound Regional Vice President Fatih Eroglu acknowledged there will be more buses and more service to Gary, but wasn't ready to share how many more buses or when the changes would take effect. "We can say [we're] almost doubling the service, so again, it's an ongoing process, talking to GPTC, mayor's office, and operationally, we are trying to make sure everything is ready," Eroglu toll reporters following Thursday's celebration.
He said it will give Region residents better access to Greyhound's entire national network.
DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development has already pinpointed several schedule changes in Gary. Some of the additional stops are on Greyhound routes that already pass through the city, while other routes now have to backtrack to get there, including buses from Chicago to St. Louis and Davenport. The changes appear to be designed to allow passengers to transfer at the Gary Metro Center, if Greyhound ends up vacating its Chicago station for a curbside stop.
With the Metro Center also serving the South Shore Line and close to multiple Interstates, Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said it shows the city's potential as a logistics solution. "Greyhound has been here, and for them to expand, knowing that they've made some changes across the border, it means a lot that Gary was one of their first options, as they were looking to move forward," Melton said.
Thursday's official announcement comes after a year of discussions with Greyhound and the city, according to GPTC Interim General Manager Denise Comer Dillard. She praised Greyhound as a good corporate citizen.
"You don't just come to the table with an appetite. You bring something to eat, and we definitely know that that's what you did," she told Greyhound representatives.
As for exactly how much Greyhound plans to spend on its Gary expansion, Eroglu said negotiations are still ongoing. "Based on our contract, we will be paying some amount of rent and some investment budget, but still, it's an ongoing process, so we cannot mention any certain amounts," Eroglu explained.
Still, Mayor Melton expects to see some upgrades in the 40-year-old facility. "There will be more current investment in that facility because of that partnership with Greyhound, so there'll be more direct investment in the escalator and all the internal infrastructure pieces," Melton said. "So that's something that's a given that's going to happen."
Eroglu also declined to share when exactly Greyhound will end service at its Chicago terminal, if the city doesn't intervene. "Well, today, we are here to talk about Gary, so we want to focus on Gary," Eroglu told reporters. "So, we are excited to be here, excited to expand our operations here, so, yeah, we don't have anything about it today."
If the Chicago station closes, it would become one of the largest cities in the world without a dedicated intercity bus terminal.
