Latest news with #DoubleTrackNWI
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
New train station is a first for NWI, state, seen as gateway to Michigan City's future
The new train station at 11th Street in downtown Michigan City is 'a gateway to our city's future that will serve generations to come,' Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch said at Wednesday's grand opening. The station and parking garage are the final piece of the Double Track NWI project. 'When someone asks what is TOD, just bring them here, and they'll recognize it right away,' said Michal Noland, general manager and president of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the South Shore Line. With the Double Track NWI project completed, the South Shore now operates an express train that can get riders from Michigan City to Millennium Station in downtown Chicago in just 67 minutes, Noland said. 'The whole skyline in Michigan City is going to be changed because of this,' Nelson Deuitch said. Attached to the new station is a mixed-use development still under construction. 'We pride ourselves on doing very complex mixed-use' developments, said David Flaherty, CEO and principal at Flaherty & Collins. The Michigan City project is the large developer's first transit-oriented development project in Indiana and its eighth overall. The $101 million investment is expected to result in $700,000 in real estate taxes and have an overall economic impact of $150 million over five years for Michigan City and the surrounding area, Flaherty said. The mixed-use project will have 220 residential units along with residential and retail spaces. The 547-space parking garage will be shared between South Shore passengers, residents and shoppers. Flaherty anticipates 300 people 'with good disposable' income moving to Michigan City, literally sharing the wealth as they patronize local businesses after returning home from high-paying jobs in Chicago. 'We will be attracting young professionals and baby boomers to this location,' he said. 'We want you to live in Indiana, spend all your money here.' 'It's walkable, it's bikeable, it's connected,' Flaherty said. He expects the Michigan City project to have a ripple effect on other stops with transit development districts along the South Shore's traditional route. For Flaherty & Collins, having the 11th Street train station incorporated into the parking garage is a first, Flaherty said. The station gives a strong nod to the railroad's history, starting with the historic terra cotta façade that was saved from the station that formerly stood on that spot. The façade was saved when the old building was razed and repurposed for the new structure. Inside are two large pictures that were black and white when they were created a century ago, but colorized to be displayed inside the station. Another display gives the history of the railroad, from 1901, when the Chicago and Indiana Air Line Railway, which would later become part of the South Shore Line, was incorporated, to today. A model South Shore train runs along a track overhead inside the station. Another one will be added later, Noland said. 'We really want this train station to be welcoming to the entire community,' he said. 'At core, this is an economic development project,' Noland said. 'It's the vision. It's what so many people envisioned when we sought funding.' Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority President and CEO Sherri Ziller is pleased with the development. 'This marks the end of a long, very long project for the RDA,' she said. 'Today, we can literally see that vision becoming a reality.' 'The point was really to unlock Michigan City's potential,' Ziller said. 'Michigan City, they've really been leading the charge. They've embraced the doubletrack project since Day 1,' she said. U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan applauded the collaboration that led to the station's construction and the completion of the Double Track NWI project. 'This is an example of where the struggle is behind us. This is an example of where, in a bipartisan way, we all came together,' he said. 'We can achieve anything' when partisan disputes are set aside, Mrvan said. 'Let this be an example, a ripple effect for Northwest Indiana,' he said. The Double Track NWI project was completed on time and under budget, Noland said. Mrvan thanked organized labor for their efforts to make that happen. Former U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky and State Rep. Hal Slager used decades of political capital on this, Mrvan said. 'This train is not only something we can celebrate, but it's a catalyst,' he said. 'It's going to create jobs. It's going to create safer neighborhoods here in Michigan City.' 'I couldn't be more proud of the region than I am today,' Ziller said.
Chicago Tribune
05-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
South Shore Line seeks public input on future improvements
The Double Track NWI project is finished. The West Lake Corridor expansion is in the home stretch. The four track going into Millennium Station is well underway. Now the South Shore Line is seeking public input on what to do next. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the railroad, began seeking public comments Thursday on future improvements and priorities. The result will be a 20-year master plan to be approved later this year by the NICTD board of directors. There's discussion about possibly extending the rail line to LaPorte, and Valparaiso was a possibility when the West Lake Corridor project was still in the discussion stages. With the economic development boom in New Carlisle, including a massive new data center, the railroad is considering whether to close its Hudson Lake station, which draws only about three people a day, and open one in nearby New Carlisle. Some South Bend boosters want to see rail service downtown, restoring what was once there decades ago. Also on the table are improvements to existing rail facilities, including upgrading the rail cars and providing more services at stations. So far, the railroad has received more than 4,000 responses from riders during a separate survey, Director of Strategic Planning and Grants Kelly Wenger said. Employees were also surveyed. This survey is aimed at people who don't use the railroad. 'Ridership is increasing, our survey responses are increasing, everything's looking great,' she told the NICTD board at its meeting last week. The railroad also plans to have conversations with local, state and federal officials about what big plans the region has for the next 20 years. General Manager and President Michael Noland said some ideas that have been thrown out include considering shuttle trains between Michigan City and the South Bend airport and Metra upgrades for higher speed and bidirectional signaling. Adding capacity to the Metra system, like the $200 million fourth track being worked on now, helps South Shore Line service, too. With that fourth track, the South Shore will gain new platforms at the Van Buren and Millennium stations. 'Gary Metro is something that's high on the radar screen,' Noland said. That project likely would include a new station to serve both trains and buses, replacing the existing station. 'Can I throw a couple of ideas in on that plan,' asked Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, who serves on the board. The board members, who will ultimately adopt the new 20-year strategic plan later this year, will help railroad officials shape the plan, Noland assured him. 'By gathering public feedback early, we aim to better understand how we can continue building upon our commitment to providing efficient, reliable, and inclusive transportation that drives regional economic development, supports environmental sustainability, and strengthens vital connections to the Greater Chicago area,' says the introduction to the survey at This survey 'aims to identify barriers to ridership, community needs and the types of improvements that could encourage greater use of public transit,' the survey introduction says. The survey ends June 19.
