West Lake Corridor project

Train service is scheduled to shift to the new Gateway Station at Sheffield Avenue on Friday, October 18.

Hammond's South Shore Line station will be down to one platform, starting Saturday. Trains in both directions will board on Track 2, while Track 1 will close.

Upgrades continue on the South Shore Line.

On the South Shore Line, some nighttime trains are being replaced by buses between Hegewisch and East Chicago.

A major route between Lansing and Munster will be closed Monday night for work on the West Lake Corridor project.

The South Shore Line plans to move its Hammond station this summer, as the West Lake Corridor branch continues to take shape. The current station at Hohman Avenue will be replaced by a new Gateway Station three blocks west.

Construction on the South Shore Line's Double Track project is almost 95-percent complete. Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) President Mike Noland says the section between Michigan City and Dune Park has been open for about a month, while the remaining part between Dune Park and Gary is nearly done.

The town of Merrillville is working to make sure its needs are met with the money it'll have available next year. The town council adopted the 2024 budget Tuesday. It totals just over $45.4 million, having been cut by almost $2 million from the initial proposal.

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) board has agreed to issue up to $200 million in bonds to ease a potential bottleneck in Chicago. NICTD is partnering with Metra to convert a storage track into a fourth mainline track between 11th Street and Millennium Station, with new station platforms at Millennium and Van Buren. That would help make way for the 26 additional trains NICTD plans to run, once the Double Track and West Lake Corridor projects are complete.

The first section of the South Shore Line's Double Track project could open in the coming weeks. The railroad has been closed between Gary and Michigan City, requiring trains to be replaced by buses, as crews build a second track.