High-speed rail could speed to Gary airport

By Keith Benman, Times of Northwest Indiana
keith.benman@nwi.com

President Obama's plan to direct $8 billion in stimulus money to high-speed rail projects has revived interest in plans for a multimodal transport center at Gary/Chicago International Airport.

"We are trying to press for a high-speed rail type connection, possibly to Industrial Highway, that could have a stopping point in or near the vicinity of the Gary airport," Airport Director Chris Curry said Friday.

U.S. Department of Transportation officials said proposed routes in federally designated high-speed rail corridors stand a good chance of getting some of the $8 billion award.

One of those routes is the Amtrak line running from Chicago to Detroit, which passes about one-half mile north of the airport. That route is part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative's plan to join nine states by high-speed rail.

U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., said he supports Obama's high-speed rail initiative. He wants it linked to existing transportation infrastructure in Northwest Indiana.

"Northwest Indiana will reap the greatest economic benefits if high-speed rail can be linked to the South Shore Line and Gary/Chicago International Airport," Visclosky stated.

Plans for a $300 million intermodal transportation center at the Gary airport first were unveiled seven years ago. Local officials are not talking about reviving that specific plan yet.

There are two Amtrak stops in Northwest Indiana, one in Dyer and one in Hammond. The Hammond stop, 1135 N. Calumet Ave., offers a small station that is open five hours a day, five days per week, although tickets can't be purchased there.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said it's time for America to invest in high-speed rail just as it did the interstate highway system in the 1950s. He said he would "obviously" prefer that a station for a high-speed rail line be located in Hammond.

The first phase of Obama's plan would consist mainly of upgrading current Amtrak rail lines. Amtrak trains currently can run at speeds up to 110 mph but rarely reach that speed on many routes because of track conditions.

Leigh Morris, Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority chairman, said making sure any high-speed trains stop in Northwest Indiana will be a priority for his organization.