The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District hopes to open its new branch to Dyer in late August or early September.
NICTD President Mike Noland says the contractors' current schedule calls for the West Lake Corridor to be complete around October 31, but he told the NICTD Board Monday that his staff continues working with contractors to improve that. "It all is going to be depending upon the contractor and their ability to put the right resources to the project to move it closer to summer rather than Halloween," Noland said.
Work continues on an underpass to extend Main Street west under the CSX and new West Lake tracks at the branch's southern end. Noland said a temporary span has been put in, and the permanent structure is expected to be installed in late May or early June. Then, work can proceed on the Munster/Dyer station's parking lot.
Noland said construction on the West Lake Corridor is about 96-percent complete, but the most complex work is at the end. "The signals, making sure the grade crossing protection works. Positive train control -- we have to stand that up. We have to finish the overhead catenary work, and we have to power up the substations on the line," Noland told board members.
The NICTD Board also heard a suggestion from the Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society to name the West Lake Corridor's South Hammond station at 173rd Street for former Hammond City Council member Janet Moran. They cited her role in generating interest in using the former Monon railroad corridor for commuter service. Moran died in February at the age of 89.
Meanwhile, Noland said a project to add a fourth track to the north end of the Metra Electric District remains on schedule and on budget. "We're building an extended tunnel at Van Buren Street station," Noland explained. "We're adding a platform at Van Buren. We're adding a platform at Randolph Street."
The project is designed to ease a potential bottleneck near Millennium Station, as the South Shore Line adds more trains, following the Double Track and West Lake Corridor projects.
