On Tuesday, January 28, community members gathered at the Dickinson Intermediate Fine Arts Academy to learn about the latest updates on the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) South Shore Line South Bend Airport Realignment project. DLZ, the company contracted for engineering services, has been hard at work planning and designing a realignment that will move the South Shore Line station from the South Bend International Airport terminal’s east side to its west side. This project will enhance service efficiency, reduce commute times, and improve safety between South Bend and Chicago, and all involved were excited to share what progress has been made since the first open house on April 5, 2023.
“We’re updating the community on the progress we've made since the last meeting. That includes reaching an agreement with the airport on the movement of our terminal from the east side of the airport to the west side, as well as additional updates to our environmental process, which are nearly completed, and that's exciting,” said Michael Noland, president of the South Shore Line. “Finally, we’re talking about the progress we've made from an engineering standpoint and updating the community on the latest plans that we have for the project.”
With 60% of the engineering design solidified and more definition on the realignment set forth, the team noted it has made great strides over the past two years. Tuesday’s event touched on the impacts of the realignment, as well as what is needed for the next steps to progress the project’s movement.
“Although we are not ready to begin property acquisitions at this time, we want to answer any questions that potentially impacted property owners may have, so a team will be available to this group at the meeting for one-on-one conversations,” Noland said. “We’re also talking about the next steps, what we anticipate from the completion of the design to securing funding for the project, and then ultimately, what our anticipation for construction and then completion of the project will be.”
In total, the realignment project is expected to cost around $112 million. Should the necessary funds be acquired in the next year, construction could start as early as the beginning of 2026, with everything up and running around the fall of 2027.
“Once we have our local funding in place, we will pursue federal funding to cover approximately 50% of the project’s costs,” Noland said. “That means we have to come up with $56 million locally, meaning anywhere from the state of Indiana, be it the city, county, private, NICTD, or whatever that combination of funds looks like, that would be considered local to fund the project.”
Noland is excited about what this realignment project will bring to the South Bend area, including the enhanced safety of those riding the South Shore Line. Safety for commuters has been at the forefront of the realignment project, and with the new realignment design plans, commuters will be in better care while in and around the station.
“When we get off our main line at Grandview, we have 22 grade crossings where the train goes across some kind of roadway, and that opens up the opportunity for a train and automobile, or bike rider or pedestrian to interact," Noland said. “The new route will reduce our at-grade crossings from 22 to 3, and anytime you're reducing crossings of a railroad track, whether it's a roadway or walkway, that's a significant safety enhancement.”
The realignment will additionally qualify the area as a quiet zone through three new crossings that will be installed as a part of the project.
“On the west side, the grade crossings will be enhanced from a crossing protection standpoint – they will include barriers that restrict a driver's ability to impatiently go around the gates,” Noland said. “Because we're designing them in that way, the area will qualify for application to the Federal Railroad Administration for a quiet zone, and if approved, that would mean that the railroad does not automatically have to blow the horn as it comes through every single intersection. This improves the quality of life in the area because we won't be sounding the horns like we had been previously over those 22 crossings. The quiet zone application is something that the municipality applies for, but we're designing the crossings to support a quiet zone.”
The realignment is also expected to shorten the time to travel between Chicago and South Bend, another large factor in determining the process of the project. Once complete, commuters can expect to cut down on up to 15 minutes of travel time between the two cities, creating ample opportunity for both cities, South Shore Line riders, and everyone in between.
“One of the big things that we have always considered with this project is the ability to reduce the travel time to and from Chicago by as much as 11 to 15 minutes for each train so that we can get down to the ultimate goal of express service,” Noland said. “Coupled with that, we see growth in the opportunity, not only with the ridership into South Bend but also in the opportunity to provide additional service because of the reduction in time that we'll achieve. The economic benefit will accrue in a variety of ways, whether it's private sector investment or additional opportunities to relocate businesses to the Region because of the closer proximity to Chicago; all of that opportunity exists from this project.”
To learn more about the South Bend Airport Realignment Project and the South Shore Line, please visit SSLAirportRealignment.com.