NICTD on board with Hammond South Shore rail hub

BY PATRICK GUINANE, Times of Northwest Indiana
pguinane@nwitimes.com

INDIANAPOLIS | Negotiators have reached a tentative deal to clear one of the potential roadblocks to South Shore commuter rail expansion.

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District has committed to building a "gateway" station in Hammond, a spokesman said Friday. The proposed hub, sought by Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., would link commuters with the existing South Shore Line and planned extensions to Lowell and Valparaiso.

McDermott confirmed an agreement had been reached in principle, but he declined to discuss details, saying the two sides are still finalizing the deal.

The mayor is expected to testify Tuesday before an Indiana Senate committee that is reviewing legislation to fund the Lowell and Valparaiso extensions. House Bill 1220 would send the project 12.5 percent of the state sales tax collected in Lake and Porter counties, a move that would generate more than $30 million a year without raising local taxes.

The sales tax diversion would provide $350 million to match $500 million in anticipated federal dollars, leaving a $150 million shortfall supporters expect the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority to close. It's not yet clear how much the proposed Hammond station would add to the $1 billion price tag.

"We have some ideas, but we want to get a much better handle on it before we talk about the cost," said John Parsons, director of marketing and planning for NICTD. "We've got some engineering challenges that we really want to put a pen to."

Roughly a mile of elevated track would be needed to route the new South Shore Line above various freight tracks in north Hammond, Parsons said. The proposed station, which McDermott wants to link with city buses, would be between State Line Avenue to the west and Sheffield Avenue to the east. It would replace the current Hohman Avenue stop.

The South Shore funding legislation still faces opposition from Gary leaders, who want a rail link built to Gary/Chicago International Airport. U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., has pledged to seek federal funds to study the airport spur, but state Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, and Gary Mayor Rudy Clay want the project spelled out in the state funding bill.