CHESTERTON, Ind. — South Shore Line rail service between Michigan City and Gary, Ind., which has been replaced all or in part by buses since February 2022, should resume early in 2024, South Shore President Michael Noland said Monday.
Noland, speaking to a meeting of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board, said the Double Track project between Michigan City and Gary is nearly 80% complete and should reach “substantial completion” in November, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Once construction is complete on the 26-mile project to add a second main, testing and familiarization runs will be required before full service can start, Noland said, although service between Michigan City and the Dune Park station in Porter could begin earlier. Full, expanded Double Track service is targeted for May 2024.
Train service between Carroll Avenue in Michigan City and Dune Park was replaced by buses on Feb. 28, 2022, with the bus operation extended to the Gary Metro station as of Aug. 6, 2022 [see “Busing plan changes for South Shore …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 8, 2023]. Trains run from Gary Metro to Millennium Station in downtown Chicago.
The South Shore’s other major project — the 9-mile West Lake Corridor between Hammond and Dyer, Ind., is about 35% complete, Noland said. It is currently running slightly behind the schedule for its target of a May 2025 opening, but he believes that date can still be reached.
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