Commuters traveling from south Lake County or Valparaiso to Chicago could cut their trip to the Hammond South Shore passenger train station in half by using a dedicated bus system that runs on railroad right-of-way, proponents say.
Hammond residents Tom Dabertin and Andrew Dybel share a vision of a Bus Rapid Transit system for the area. The concept "shows promise for Northwest Indiana," they said while presenting their idea to The Times Friday.
The BRT could, at least temporarily, fill the need for a proposed commuter rail line from Lowell and Valparaiso to Chicago, Dabertin said.
"I truly believe it's about time to think about other, cutting-edge approaches," he said, adding buses using rail right-of-way could travel twice as fast as on the highway because there would be no stop lights or traffic.
A bus route could be built to the Hammond station using existing land, either by paving a road along or next to the tracks, according to the plan. The bus route could be built faster and cheaper than a rail line, they said.
The route from Valparaiso to Hammond would follow the Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad to the Canadian National Railroad to the Monon corridor into Hammond. From Lowell, the bus line would use the CSX Railroad right-of-way to the Monon corridor. At least some of that land has been abandoned.
Dabertin, a consultant with Hammond-based Shared Resource Solutions Inc., and Dybel, vice president and controller of Oak Brook, Ill.-based Veolia Transportation, contend the concept could become reality in two years at a cost of $40 million to $50 million, providing an alternative to building the new rail line that could take seven to nine years and $700 million to $900 million to build.
"It would run on a tight schedule like a train," Dybel said. "There would be no stopping in traffic."
Plus, once paved, and with gates and/or warnings lights placed at grade crossings, the route also could be used by local emergency equipment, he said.
Dybel said his interest in the project is that of a "concerned citizen,' who has a transportation background. He developed the concept from a similar project his company developed in Las Vegas. Veolia may be interested in partnering on a study to determine the BRT's feasibility with the University of South Florida, he said.
The pair said they have had preliminary discussions about the concept with Dennis Rittenmeyer, president of the Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority, and with Tim Sanders, executive director of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.
Kenneth Dallmeyer, RBA project director, said the bus line could be cheaper to build than a commuter rail route, but the cost would depend on many variables, including the condition and current use of the right-of-way.
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