HAMMOND, Ind. — Sometime in early 2026, passengers will be able to ride the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District’s West Lake Extension, now designated by NICTD as the South Shore Line’s Monon Corridor.
The 8-mile electrified, single-track route has been constructed mostly on former rail right-of-way that hosted trains of the Monon and later CSX. The segment was abandoned in 1989 north of where Amtrak’s Cardinal now joins CSX’s ex-Grand Trunk Western main line at Maynard, Ind. Some of the original tracks were still visible as late as 2019 next to a pedestrian and bike trail built after the abandonment.
The rail line and trail were completely rebuilt south of a new Hammond Gateway station, where off-peak transfers to South Shore Monon Corridor shuttles and rush-hour through trains will connect to downtown Chicago via NICTD’s South Bend main line. Grade separations over all rail lines and major highways, a passing track at South Hammond, and intermediate Hammond and Munster Ridge Road stations were built en route to the Munster/Dyer station at the line’s south end. The new physical plant also includes eight highway crossings, all equipped with quad gates.
The date for the start of service remains to be determined. Completion of the line was slowed by a number of factors, especially construction of a CSX bridge over the highway providing access to the Munster/Dyer station’s parking lot and boarding facilities [see “Underpass work will determine opening date …,” Trains.com, Nov. 27, 2024]. Installation of catenary, signaling, and positive train control also played a role [see “South Shore hoping to open …,” April 2, 2025]. But once all track, overhead wire and substation electrical, grade crossing activation, and PTC systems were deemed ready, overnight performance testing of trains began the week of Dec. 15.
Safety first
The plan implemented and supervised by NICTD project engineer Gary Babcoke in conjunction with safety officials called for five nights of testing at various speeds along the entire line. Monday’s all-night drill consisted of running a two-car train from Hammond Gateway to Munster/Dyer non-stop starting at 5 mph. Speeds were increased by 5-mph increments with each pass until reaching 65 mph.
On Dec. 16, the non-stop tests started at 65 mph and advanced in 5-mph increments to the maximum speed of 79 mph. Flaggers were stationed at every highway crossing to ensure that regardless of the speed or ability of the train to trigger warning devices, autos and pedestrians would be protected.
Trains was on hand at the Munster/Dyer station that frigid Tuesday evening to observe the job overview given by Babcoke to the test train’s operating crew and the safety briefing required of all participants. Then it was off on a speedy round-trip.
Before each departure from Munster/Dyer or Hammond Gateway, Babcoke required each highway flagging crew to acknowledge via radio that they are stopping traffic as a safety precaution, well before crossing gates were activated by the approaching train. Nevertheless, there were no malfunctions.
Calibrating details
“Testing the route at various speeds allows us to determine optimal braking curves for positive train control and make sure crews are comfortable,” Babcoke explains. “These trains are like sports cars — they’re fast — but the goal is smooth train handling coming into stations.”
During the runs, Babcoke monitors power consumption, brake pipe pressure, as well as speeds achieved at various mile markers as trains accelerate or slow. Some conductors and engineers in the process of qualifying on the route are also aboard to observe the line’s physical characteristics at night.
Though there are currently no plans for non-stop trains once regular service begins, Babcoke clocks the 70-mph run at 9 minutes, which includes necessarily slower movement leaving or arriving at the endpoints. “Track speed was 40 mph on old Monon,” he recalls, “but they had to cross other railroads at grade. And if you drive Highway 41 today, it takes 21 minutes with all the stoplights and traffic.”
After those runs were completed, the two-car train repositions to the South Hammond passing track just south of 173rd Street, where tests at 5 to 40 mph are completed. Similar tests were later conducted at the Munster/Dyer station’s passing track, and then with a single car over the entire route to confirm crossing device and PTC signal activation without any loss-of-shunt issues. None surfaced.
The next three nights consisted of grade crossing timing tests and runs with consists of varying length. Babcoke tells Trains, “All the testing was successful. We operated at 79 mph with CTC, PTC, and grade crossing systems all in service. We also timed a few runs with station stops.” Running times with stops at South Hammond and Munster Ridge Road ranged from 13 minutes, 30 seconds to 14 minutes each way.
Additional test runs — this time in daylight — are planned for January. Schedules and a revenue service debut date will follow once everyone involved signs off on the route’s readiness.
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
