I just heard on the local news that N.I.C.T.D. South Shore passenger service in Michigan City, In. is still considering only the three very expensive reroutes that their engineers drew up.
They refuse to acknowledge the Northern route proposed by Robert Murry. His proposal does not require a “Billion dollar” bridge over Salt creek. It does not displace a lot of residents. It does not have as many grade crossings.
The Michigan City station will have very close access to Blue Chip casino and the Northern shopping distuct. The local beach and park district is with in walking distance. Local bus service routes to the southern section of town.
Problem is when you have a lot of TAXPAYERS money to waste. They want to make sure they can and will waste it.
Hate to say it, Spike, but there must be other reasoms this route wasn’t chosen–we’re definitely not getting the full story here.
Let’s look at the routes, if we can. I only know of three possibilities, and I don’t know of any of those that require a new bridge, unless it’s an upgrading of the existing Amtrak route.
The route that I imagine you’re talking about has the SouthShore leave its own right-of-way either where it crosses Amtrak’s track (requiring a physical connection) or with a route past the power plant to a connection further north (again requiring a physical connection). Once on Amtrak’s trackage, it uses the Amtrak station (low-level platform), the Amtrak swing-bridge-and-dispatcher’s-office, and goes past the road to the beach and the casino.
Then what? Does it rebuild one or more tracks on that old NKP route, crossing U.S. 12 and connecting with the existing track back by the shops? Nobody’s going to want to build a new crossing across that highway. Grade separation, which in turn means an impossible grade (not for interurbans, I suppose). And I suspect that the Amtrak bridge is probably going to have to be replaced. If NICTD (and freights) use Amtrak’s tracks, there’s going to be a second track built there. I’d like to think that Amtrak is planning for increased speed and frequency there, and SouthShore freights don’t fit into the equation.
I’ve also heard about using the CSX right-of-way. That sounds plausible, except that you will need to make a longer connection at the west end, and (probably at CSX’s insistence) a second track. Again, think about separating the grade at at least one crossing (Route 421), because increased volume will not be tolerated. The connection at the east end will not be easy, and it will involve crossing the ex-NKP branch (now used by the SouthShore, I think), U.S. 35 (widening that bridge),and it will completely miss the shops, requiring them to maintain a connection.
This is the first I’ve heard of a South Shore reroute - but dare I ask - they’ve been street running in Michigan City for over what, 100+ years? Why bother rerouting? The whole reroute seems like a waste of money in the first place that will never pay for itself…
Street running is an operating headache and a major liability issue for any railroad. South Shore has eliminated its two other street operations and I’m sure that they wouldn’t mind getting off of 10th and 11th Streets. The expense of building a re-route may well explain why the street running in Michigan City continues. Also remember that South Shore had the East Chicago bypass route lined up prior to 1929 but it didn’t get built until the Indiana Toll Road Commission needed a route through the Calumet region.
The formula some people have to use to determine if a public investment will pay for itself had got to be one of the more nearsided thinking I have ever been exposed to.
I wonder how many people on the North Shore are lamenting the use of that formula as they are stuck in traffic on I-94 . . .
I have a similar thought when I bicycle on the Prairie Path (CA&E). Sure would be great to have it running with fast electric trains instead of letting it get torn up for scrap 50 years ago.