WASHINGTON — The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District’s West Lake Corridor Project — to build an 8-mile spur for South Shore Line commuter service between Hammond and Dyer, Ind. — has received a $203.3 million loan as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program.
The project will include four new stations, as well as walking trails and bike paths in and around station areas.
“USDOT is excited to provide financing for the West Lake Corridor Commuter Rail project. Multi-modal investments like this support thriving communities, expand transportation options, and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said in a Friday, June 17, press release.
The new funding follows a 2020 grant agreement providing $354.6 million for the project through the Federal Transit Adminstration’s Capital Investments Program [see “Digest: South Shore approves design-build contract …,” Trains News Wire, July 21, 2020].
The loan is from the department’s Build America Bureau, which helps reduce the cost of infrastructure projects through the low-cost RRIF loan and other forms of financing.
Great news!