A land transfer agreement completed in late December has enabled an Indiana commuter railroad to clear another hurdle in the South Shore double tracking project.
The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and Chicago, South Shore & South Bend completed a transaction with Northern Indiana Public Service Company that will enable double tracking of 17 miles of the South Shore between Gary and Michigan City to proceed.
In a news release, The CSS&SB said the double tracking will also boost its freight service.
NICTD oversees the South Shore Line commuter service between Chicago and South Bend, Indiana, while the CSS&SB is a freight railroad owned by Anacostia Rail Holdings.
The $300 million double-tracking project is expected to be completed by April 2024.
Currently the line has eight miles of double-track between Gary and Michigan City.
Funding for the project is coming from a variety of federal, state and private funds.
In a news release, Anacostia said trains face a congestion at Burns Harbor where CSS&SB and NICTD trains share a single-track main line.
The release said once double tracking is completed, freight switching will be conducted north of the main line.
“This will allow CSS&SB to use some of NIPSCO’s now idle Bailly Generation Station property to foster business development in Northwest Indiana,” the news release said.
Tags: Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, Northern Indiana Public Service Company, South Shore commuter service, South Shore double tracking, South Shore freight service, South Shore Line
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