Opening the new West Lake Corridor branch sometime this summer seems to be the current hope of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. It will branch off of the existing South Shore Line in North Hammond and continue to the Munster/Dyer border at Main Street.
The targeted opening date is in May, but NICTD President Mike Noland says the contractor's schedule keeps pushing back later into the year. "We are working with the contractor to try to make sure that they bring that schedule back to something that we believe is reasonable," Noland told the NICTD board Monday.
A big hurdle is an underpass to extend Main Street west under the new and existing tracks to the new station's parking lot. Noland said winter weather is only adding to the challenge.
And there's also work on the railroad itself. Noland said the signals, overhead catenary system and electrical substations still need to be completed. Once that's done, the new branch needs to be tested before it can open for passengers.
"The Federal Railroad Administration requires some pretty significant training and testing verification before they'll let you open up a brand new line segment," Noland explained.
He said the railroad has been steadily hiring staff to operate the new service. That will include six weekday rush hour trains to and from Chicago, plus a two-car shuttle to Hammond during off-peak hours and weekends.
"Someone then can transfer to the [existing] South Shore Line," Noland said. "They can either go in the city of Chicago, if that's their destination, or they could turn around and go out to Michigan City or South Bend."
Noland estimated that construction on the West Lake Corridor is more than 90-percent complete.
