CHESTERTON, Ind. — The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District remains hopeful that it can open the South Shore Line’s new West Lake Corridor in late August or early September, but that would require shaving more than a month off the contractors’ current estimate.
Lakeshore Public Media reports NICTD President Mike Noland told the agency’s board at a Monday, March 31, meeting, that the contractors’ schedule calls for completion of the 8-mile line between Hammond and Dyer, Ind., about Oct. 31, but the agency’s staff is working with contractors to move that date up.
“It is all going to be depending on the contractor,” Noland said, “and their ability to put the right resources to the project to move it closer to summer, rather than Halloween.
Last month, Noland told Northwestern University’s Sandhouse Rail Group that the NICTD was still aiming for a summer opening for the extension, but added, “Summer is a loose term here. You can define it any way you want.” [See “With Double Track growing pains behind …,” Trains News Wire, March 12, 2025.]
Noland told the board construction is about 96% complete, but complex work remains: completing and powering up the catenary system; completing signals and ensuring grade crossing lights and gates work; and initiating positive train control.
Hopefully they are running some simulations in the mean time to calculate the flows into the IC Electric and on to Millennium Station. Some how that “just wing it” approach on the new Michigan City route didn’t seem very well planned nor safe.