The South Shore Line (“SSL”) provides commuter rail service connecting downtown Chicago with South Bend International Airport in South Bend, Indiana. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (“NICTD”) assumed operation of the system in 1989 and maintains operations today.
The Project is an approximately 8-mile southern single-track extension of the existing NICTD SSL between the town of Dyer and city of Hammond, Indiana. Traveling north from the southern terminus near Main Street at the Munster/Dyer municipal boundary, the Project would include new track operating at grade on a separate ROW to be acquired adjacent to the CSX Transportation (“CSX”) Monon Subdivision railroad in Dyer and Munster. The Project alignment would be elevated from 45th Street to the Canadian National Railway (“CN”) Elsdon Subdivision railroad at the Maynard Junction in Munster. North of the CN railroad, the Project alignment would return to grade and join with the publicly owned former Monon Railroad corridor in Munster and Hammond, Indiana, and continue north. The Project would relocate the existing Monon Trail pedestrian bridge crossing over the Little Calumet River and build a new rail bridge at the location of the former Monon Railroad Bridge.
The Project alignment would cross under Interstate 80 and Interstate 94 and continue north on the former Monon Railroad corridor to Sibley Street. From Douglas Street north, the Project would be elevated over all streets and rail lines using a combination of retaining walls, elevated structures, and bridges. The Project would terminate just east of the Indiana Harbor Belt railroad at the Indiana–Illinois state line, where it would connect with the SSL. Project trains would operate on the existing Metra Electric District (“MED”) line for the final 14 miles, terminating at Millennium Station in downtown Chicago.
Four new stations would be constructed along the alignment. Station locations for the Project from south to north are Munster/Dyer Main Street, Munster Ridge Road, South Hammond, and Hammond Gateway. The four new stations along the alignment will have high-level station platforms that will be approximately 10 feet wide and will vary in length from 210 to 550 feet. The Hammond Gateway and Munster Ridge Road platforms will accommodate 2-car consists, the South Hammond platform will accommodate a 4-car consist, and the Munster/Dyer platform will accommodate a 6-car consist. A new platform serving the existing SSL trains at Hammond Gateway Station will have a single center 8-car high-level platform proposed to be 720 feet in length and approximately 24 feet wide. The new West Lake platforms will typically have three ramps: one at both ends and a third in the middle, depending on access needs in the surrounding area. Each station stop will have at least one warming shelter, parking facilities, benches, trash receptacles, bicycle racks, and other site amenities. The Munster/Dyer Main Street Station and Hammond Gateway Station would each have a station building. All stations would be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
A Maintenance and Storage Facility yard that will accommodate up to 36 cars and an Employee Administration – Light Maintenance Building would be located just south of the Hammond Gateway Station and west of Sheffield Avenue.
Traction power substations powering (“TPSS”) the overhead catenary system will be located at the MSF, the South Hammond Station, and the Munster/Dyer Main Street Station. The TPSS will be enclosed to secure installations housing electrical equipment and controls. The TPSS will feed an overhead contact system that powers the vehicles and recharges their onboard energy storage systems.
The Monon Trail, an existing pedestrian/bicycle route, will be preserved as part of the Project. Access to the Erie Lackawanna and Little Calumet River Trails will also be preserved. The Project includes three pedestrian tunnels and a pedestrian bridge over the track at the Munster/Dyer Main Street Station.

Related project
In addition to the Project, the NICTD together with the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (“RDA”), with support from the State, will be developing the Double Track Project (“Double Track”).
Double Track includes implementing double-tracking and platform upgrades at five stations along a 26.6 mile-segment of the SSL between Gary and Michigan City, Indiana. Approximately 8.7 miles of double track already exists, and minimal construction would take place in this section. Within the remaining 16.4 mile segment, a new second main track would be constructed, mostly within existing railroad right-of-way and next to the existing track. Additionally, in Michigan City, the street running tracks on 10th and 11th Streets would be removed and two new tracks would be constructed from Sheridan Avenue to Michigan Boulevard. Approximately 7.9 miles of active passing sidings exist along the route and would be used as the second main track to help reduce project scope and cost.
The Project and Double Track are jointly referred to as Rail Projects.
The Project will reduce travel time to Chicago, providing a less expensive and more reliable access to higher paying jobs in and around Chicago. It should also attract new residents to the communities along the corridor, stimulate the economy in northwest Indiana through Transit Oriented Development, and is expected to induce $2.3 billion in capital investment in the region.