Railroads and region leaders are laying plans for rail improvements across the region that take advantage of its key position just outside Chicago and its wealth of Class I and short line railroads.
The city of Hammond and ThruPort Intermodal LLC have already announced plans and formed corporate alliances for a repair facility and warehouses at the 155-acre East Gibson Yard Development Area.
The first phase will entail construction of a covered repair facility on a double set of tracks looping around the property. Reliable Rail Services of Green Cove Springs, Fla., will be able to repair as many as 100 train cars at a time there. That is a $15 million project that should create about 50 full-time jobs.
The second phase will involve building facilities for storing cold foods that can be shipped in and out by rail. That phase would cost $75 million and produce another 150 to 180 jobs.
Those plans fit into a larger one to designate new areas for rail use to the south of Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) Railroad's Gibson Yards, which is already a hub for short line rail transfers, auto shipments, and fuel depots.
"IHB says they have a lot of companies who want to locate close to their property," said Phil Taillon, executive director of the city's Department of Planning and Development. "Anybody who uses rail as in part of their business would be a great fit."
In LaPorte County, plans continue to be laid for the growth of the Kingsbury Industrial Park, which can be served by two rail lines and potentially a third.
"There are 4,000 acres of property that can be developed there and they want to see the same thing most communities want to see which is good paying jobs," said Matt Reardon, a principal with SEH of Indiana, who has been advising LaPorte County on the project.
LaPorte County kicked in $6 million two years ago to build a rail spur to connect the park with a CSX Transportation rail line. The South Shore Freight railroad has a line that approaches the park from the north. And Canadian National Railway operates a main line which passes near the site.
The LaPorte County Board of Commissioners and the County Council continue to work with private developers on the project, and are hopeful legal problems that ensnared the project for the past year are over.
Canadian National Railway continues to build train volumes on the EJ&E line, which it purchased to relieve rail congestion in Chicago. That line also provides direct access to its Kirk Yard in Gary.
Amtrak passenger rail and the South Shore commuter railroad also continue to plan and secure funding for their plans in the region.
The $74 million Indiana Gateway project, which will help speed Amtrak trains into Chicago, is already underway and should be complete within a couple of years. A key part of the project involves separating tracks at Porter Junction, where 14 Amtrak trains and 90 freight trains per day now cross paths.
Also underway is an environmental impact study of a $3 billion high-speed rail plan to cut two hours off Amtrak passenger train trips between Chicago and Detroit. That plan contemplates a high-speed rail station located somewhere in Northwest Indiana.
The South Shore commuter railroad's plan for the next 20 years is laid out in a report delivered to operator Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District last year.
That plan lays out a road map for building a 9-mile South Shore extension to Lake County suburbs that could increase daily ridership by more than 5,000. The project has a $571 million cost. U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., is leading the push for both local and federal funding for the project.
That plan also envisions a $169 million market expansion plan for the existing South Shore line that would include significant improvements at local stations, a realignment of tracks in Michigan City, and another realignment in South Bend.