A portion of the $649 million Double Track Project of the South Shore Line in Indiana will receive a $27.5 million Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Loan through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau.
The loan is for a portion of the project along a 26.6-mile segment of the South Shore Line between Gary and Michigan City, Ind., a Dec. 22 news release said. The existing South Shore Line is a transportation link connecting Northwest Indiana to Chicago, the Double Track NWI website said. The plan is to expand the line “from single track to double rack between Gary and Michigan City.”
“We are pleased to help finance the Double Track Project, which will increase safety, reliability and cut travel time by one-third for commuters from Michigan City to Chicago,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said in the release. “This project will deliver improved trip options, taking vehicles off the road and reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.”
The project, which is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2024, will comprise almost 18 miles of double tracking and overhead power system installation, the release said. Vehicular traffic will be separated along two miles of street-running rail line, five stations will be upgraded, 13 at-grade roadway/track crossings will be eliminated and 1,475 parking spaces will be added, the release said. Existing crossings will be upgraded with automatic warning devices.
“The South Shore Line upgrades will not only benefit commuters, but the entire region as transit-oriented development is induced and new jobs are created,” Bureau Executive Director Morteza Farajian said in the release.
The new funding follows an up to $203.3 million loan announced in June 2022 financing a portion of the West Lake Corridor Commuter Rail Project. The portion is an 8-mile single-track extension of the South Shore Line between Dyer and Hammond, Indiana, a June release said.
