NEWS

Speedier South Shore headed our way. Where it will stop still under debate.

Ed Semmler
South Bend Tribune
The weekday South Shore train arrives Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the South Bend International Airport terminal in South Bend.

The dream of a 90-minute train trip between South Bend and Chicago is inching toward reality with construction of the double-track project between Gary and Michigan City already underway and economic development following its path. 

Two tracks in that busy corridor will allow commuter trains to run more frequently and without pulling over on side tracks to make way for other trains, cutting travel times between Michigan City and Millenium Station in downtown Chicago by about 30 minutes and even more on express trains. 

That speedier service is expected to get underway in May 2024.

Revitalization:A 'true downtown': Michigan City complex to feature 12-story apartments, new train station

And officials with the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, the operators of the South Shore Line, say another 15 minutes will be carved off the trip and numerous road crossings eliminated by rerouting the line to reach the west side of the terminal at the South Bend International Airport. 

It’s a plan that’s been under study for decades, and now officials say there is federal transportation money available to help pay for the estimated $75 million to $80 million project, which would still need significant contributions from the state, St. Joseph County, South Bend and other sources to move forward.

“The goal has always been to get South Bend down to 90 minutes,” said Mike Noland, president of the South Shore. “We’re at 2½ hours today on most of our trains.” 

The weekday South Shore train arrives Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the South Bend International Airport terminal in South Bend.

On the other side of Lake Michigan, the same time reduction between Chicago and Milwaukee doubled ridership and greatly increased connectivity in the business communities, resulting in a large amount of growth and opportunity, Noland explained. 

Officials believe the same will happen in South Bend once the trip gets down to about 90 minutes after the airport portion of the project is completed, roughly in 2026. The Michiana area has already been drawing some people from the Chicago area because of the lower cost of living here and the fact that more companies are allowing some form of hybrid work. 

Benefits come with speed

A speedier commute into Chicago via the South Shore could boost that number, but it also would open up the Chicago market for more local people because the jobs there typically pay about 40% more than comparable jobs outside the city, Noland said. 

Though the commuting effect is obviously stronger for cities like Michigan City, a speedier trip from South Bend would also benefit the region by providing faster access to world-class cultural, educational and medical facilities in Chicago, improving the livability for those in the Michiana region. 

The weekday South Shore train arrives Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the South Bend International Airport terminal in South Bend.

“I also see opportunities for Notre Dame sending its professors and students back and forth or people going in for that business meeting or companies having a satellite facility in South Bend,” Noland said. “I see huge opportunities for that. That’s what happened over on the Milwaukee side.” 

There’s overwhelming consensus that the time saving improvements that are underway will be a huge benefit to residents and businesses in the area.

Why the South Shore moved from downtown

But there’s still divergent opinions on whether the South Shore should be rerouted to the west side of the airport terminal or go directly into downtown South Bend from where it was banished in 1970 following a runaway train incident a few years earlier. 

Banished:How the South Shore took its current path

Beyond safety, the city wanted the train moved so it could concentrate on cleaning up a blighted area of downtown and improve traffic flow. Initially, the commuter line was moved to the current site of the Amtrak station at Mead and Washington streets on the west side of the city, before it found a more permanent home at the airport in 1992. 

That airport move came as the result of a recommendation from area planning, which thought it made sense to combine air, train and bus travel at a single location, and as late as 2017, everyone seemed to be on board with the idea of eliminating the big loop that the train takes on the east side of the airport. 

Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, now the Secretary of Transportation, was ready to kick in $25 million for the realignment project and was hopeful the work could begin as soon as possible. But then things changed. 

Change in direction

A year later, Buttigieg wanted to explore the option of bringing the train downtown near Union Station and Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium on the south side of downtown, but admitted the price tag ultimately could be too steep. 

Under debate:Lots of money on train studies. No progress. No location settled.

The city and the county each contributed to the more than $9 million to the double-track project because of the time savings. But the revitalization of downtown South Bend was well under way and redevelopment was pushing in a southerly direction from the city’s core.

And that hasn’t changed with plans to expand Four Winds Field and build new apartments in the area, among other things.  

This is an artist's rendering of the improvements envisioned for Four Winds Field according to Andrew Berlin, owner of the South Bend Cubs minor league team in South Bend. If approved by the city, Berlin said the hope is to begin construction at the end of the 2024 Midwest League baseball season.

Stadium upgrades:New law would let South Bend keep $3M more in annual taxes from city-owned sites

The possibilities are tantalizing for advocates of downtown development. A commuter train in downtown could supercharge development of the area with new restaurants, offices and housing likely to spring up nearby. 

“A lot of things are coming together on the south side of downtown, and train service would seamlessly fit in,” Mayor James Mueller said. “We see the benefits of getting to Chicago in 90 minutes, but it’s hard to get excited about moving the station from one side of the airport to the other.” 

Those sentiments are shared by Willow Wetherall, executive director of Downtown South Bend, who has been working to build the case to bring the station downtown. “Downtown might cost more, but it would have a far greater economic impact,” she said. 

Mueller and Wetherall admit that Norfolk Southern could be a huge impediment to getting the project downtown because the easiest solution would be running the South Shore line in the railroad’s right of way. 

Norfolk Southern says no

Even that would come at a high cost, but Noland, who spent his career in the railroad industry, said he was told no by Norfolk Southern, meaning the extension to downtown would likely require the purchase of new right of way. 

“Dealing with railroads is frustrating and an uphill battle,” Mueller admitted. Still, he wonders whether every option has been exhausted to try prying the railroad off its hard no and said he’s still undecided on whether to financially support the airport project. 

For his part, Noland would like to see the project proceed to the west side of the airport because there’s currently about $36 billion in federal funds set aside to help develop passenger rail service across the country as well as other grant opportunities. 

This map shows the proposed relocation of the South Shore line into the South Bend International Airport.

The plan to reach the west side of the airport terminal would require the acquisition of about 10 homes in the Ardmore neighborhood; running the line downtown would potentially require considerably more properties and a portion of the soccer field at the Kroc Center, especially if Norfolk Southern refuses to share its right of way. 

Those are important factors, but Noland and others are concerned that South Shore could miss the chance to get a piece of the federal money needed to pay for roughly half of the estimated $80 million project ― the remainder of which would come from the city, county, state and other grants.

Planning is already well underway for the airport project, and changing plans now could cost several more years of delays and no certainty that money will be available to support a project that Noland estimates could reach $250 million if right of way needs to be purchased. 

Bird in the hand

The University of Notre Dame, among other organizations, is behind the bird-in-the-hand approach. 

“The university is not opposed to a downtown station,” said Dennis Brown, university spokesman. “However, with the current opportunity for potential funding being provided through the federal government, we would prefer the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and the region take action now and identify a location west of the airport.” 

The South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce, the South Shore Line, the airport and the county government agree with that assessment, believing that the federal money might not be there in the future to complete any of the work in St. Joseph County. 

The weekday South Shore train arrives Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the South Bend International Airport terminal in South Bend.

Instead, they prefer to try to take what’s seems more certain. 

“This is the biggest federal transportation bill in our lifetime,” said Jeff Rea, president and CEO of the Chamber. “Even if the downtown project was ready to go, we’d be asking for a higher percentage of the allocation than our population density or ridership warrants.” 

Besides that, Rea pointed out the airport has the infrastructure already in place ― restrooms, parking, security and snow removal ― needed to support the improvements, which would also boost ridership and possibly allow for additional freight development near the airport. 

“We believe the airport is the only realistic opportunity, very do-able and within reach,” Rea said. “Everyone loves the idea of downtown, including us. But nobody has a plan for how it would be paid for and we don’t want to miss the opportunity in front of us.” 

Wait comes with risk

The South Shore itself believes the prudent idea is to first relocate the rail line to the west side of the airport with the long-term goal to extend the line into downtown. Eventually, a platform could be built to offload passengers who want to go to the airport on a separate shuttle from those who want to continue downtown. 

Platform for South Shore  station in arial rendering.

Even with the hundreds of thousands of dollars that have been spent on plans that have looked at the airport and downtown options, consensus is going to be necessary to get the needed federal money for either project and there likely won’t be sufficient local money if either the city or the county backs away. 

“I’m advocating for downtown because it’s a transformational opportunity for us,” Mueller said. “I’m open to the airport idea, but there’s a difference between supporting and financially supporting the project.” 

For that to happen, he needs to see more hard evidence.

Email Tribune staff writer Ed Semmler at esemmler@sbtinfo.com.