NICTD/South Shore Line

[Busjack]

36 minutes ago, busfan2847 said:

As well as the Mk 1 Highliners (1200-1226) I have seen photographs of Mk 2 ones on the South Shore. Most still have Metra logos but one of the photographs above shows 1306 with a NICTD logo. Others I have seen photos of are 1283, 1294, 1295, 1326, 1344. Are these on loan, or are they a long term lease like the Mk1's?

I don't know about that, but I suppose that a long-term lease (such as was done for 1201-1226) would need the approval of both boards.

I was struck by the number of Metra logos, as opposed to South Shore stripes and NICTD logos, such as in @NewFlyerMCI's post, copied below. Even after enlarging, I couldn't see if the number was 1204 or something like 1284.

The other possibility is whether the pictures were taken when the line was cut to clear up the wreck, and Metra decided to help out for cars caught in Carroll Ave. (Michigan City) yard.

[NewFlyerMCI]

28 minutes ago, Busjack said:

I don't know about that, but I suppose that a long-term lease (such as was done for 1201-1226) would need the approval of both boards.

I was struck by the number of Metra logos, as opposed to South Shore stripes and NICTD logos, such as in @NewFlyerMCI's post, copied below. Even after enlarging, I couldn't see if the number was 1204 or something like 1284.

The other possibility is whether the pictures were taken when the line was cut to clear up the wreck, and Metra decided to help out for cars caught in Carroll Ave. (Michigan City) yard.

That's 1294 & 1306 in the pic. All pictures were taken 4/3/26.

[Busjack]

13 minutes ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

That's 1294 & 1306 in the pic. All pictures were taken 4/3/26.

Thanks.

The wreck was on June 24 (NICTD letter), so it wasn't that.

[NewFlyerMCI]

1 hour ago, busfan2847 said:

Others I have seen photos of are 1283, 1294, 1295, 1326, 1344. Are these on loan, or are they a long term lease like the Mk1's?

 

1 hour ago, Busjack said:

I don't know about that, but I suppose that a long-term lease (such as was done for 1201-1226) would need the approval of both boards.

Semi-related, 1201-1226 have been rebranded, but these other loaners have not (presumably b/c they are loaners), leading to confusion when boarding at shared stops. I witnessed two incidents at 55/56/57 b/c of SSL trains running with Metra branded cars, one of which was particularly bad, b/c the SSL conductors did not give any verbal indication that it was not a Metra train, and someone narrowly boarded thinking it was an outbound BI train (which was due to arrive at the same time)

[Tcmetro]

Details on a new NICTD plan that was approved at the most recent board meeting on 7/27/2026. I couldn't find the actual document online and even though they host the meetings online it doesn't seem like there is an archive saved anywhere. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/02/nictd-approves-plans-for-the-future-that-include-new-rail-cars-routes/

• Extension of the Monon Corridor to Lowell.
• New branches to Valparaiso and LaPorte.
• A shuttle connecting from a new Pine Rd station in South Bend to the South Bend Amtrak and Downtown stations. 
• A shuttle from Hammond Gateway to the proposed Hammond Bears stadium. 
• Replacing the Gary Metro station. 
• Adding the Downtown Hammond and New Carlisle stations. 
• Relocating the Michigan City facility to the Pines facility. (I'm not sure what the Pines facility is - maybe related to Pine Rd in South Bend or the town of Pines, IN?)
• Add a maintenance facility in Hammond. 
• Reducing the number of crossings in Gary. 
• Adding sidings for freights between Michigan City and South Bend. 
• Replacing the fleet, potentially with battery-electric trains. 
• Partnering with bus lines for service to educational institutions, entertainment venues, and parks. 

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, Tcmetro said:

Details on a new NICTD plan that was approved at the most recent board meeting on 7/27/2026. I couldn't find the actual document online and even though they host the meetings online it doesn't seem like there is an archive saved anywhere. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/02/nictd-approves-plans-for-the-future-that-include-new-rail-cars-routes/

• Extension of the Monon Corridor to Lowell.
• New branches to Valparaiso and LaPorte.
• A shuttle connecting from a new Pine Rd station in South Bend to the South Bend Amtrak and Downtown stations. 
• A shuttle from Hammond Gateway to the proposed Hammond Bears stadium. 
• Replacing the Gary Metro station. 
• Adding the Downtown Hammond and New Carlisle stations. 
• Relocating the Michigan City facility to the Pines facility. (I'm not sure what the Pines facility is - maybe related to Pine Rd in South Bend or the town of Pines, IN?)
• Add a maintenance facility in Hammond. 
• Reducing the number of crossings in Gary. 
• Adding sidings for freights between Michigan City and South Bend. 
• Replacing the fleet, potentially with battery-electric trains. 
• Partnering with bus lines for service to educational institutions, entertainment venues, and parks. 

Most of these aren't new proposals.

 

While rebuilding the Gary Metro station also isn't a new proposal   reducing number of grade crossings in Gary does seem new, although that might not be new either.  That could isolate almost everyone who lives north of the tracks.  There's already limited access as it is now.

 

I thought the Monan Corridor should have been double tracked because there was always a plan to extend the line to Lowell.   The question is the routing to Valparais.

[Busjack]

3 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

Details on a new NICTD plan that was approved at the most recent board meeting on 7/27/2026. I couldn't find the actual document online and even though they host the meetings online it doesn't seem like there is an archive saved anywhere. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/02/nictd-approves-plans-for-the-future-that-include-new-rail-cars-routes/

• Extension of the Monon Corridor to Lowell.
• New branches to Valparaiso and LaPorte.
• A shuttle connecting from a new Pine Rd station in South Bend to the South Bend Amtrak and Downtown stations. 
• A shuttle from Hammond Gateway to the proposed Hammond Bears stadium. 
• Replacing the Gary Metro station. 
• Adding the Downtown Hammond and New Carlisle stations. 
• Relocating the Michigan City facility to the Pines facility. (I'm not sure what the Pines facility is - maybe related to Pine Rd in South Bend or the town of Pines, IN?)
• Add a maintenance facility in Hammond. 
• Reducing the number of crossings in Gary. 
• Adding sidings for freights between Michigan City and South Bend. 
• Replacing the fleet, potentially with battery-electric trains. 
• Partnering with bus lines for service to educational institutions, entertainment venues, and parks. 

I put in bold what looked new or significant.

• Bears shuttle: Makes sense (and I think inevitable).
• Valparaiso and LaPorte: What's different in the map is that the Valpo line branches off the Lakeshore corridor at Chicago-Gary Airport instead of coming off the Monon Corridor at 45th St. in Munster, which makes sense since CN was never going to let them use the GTW.
• Gary Metro: While something needed to be done there because it didn't have a high level platform, I guess I should have anticipated that a new bus terminal would also be needed.
• New cars: They said the BEBs would be used on the extensions instead of catenary. But what hit me, aside from half the cars date from the 1980s and the newest sometime in the oughts, is that essentially there are only 2 spare cars. That's probably why they have been running Metra equipment.

On the other hand, the construction updates for the West Lake (now Monon) project said that they were building an MSF (maintenance and storage facility) at Hammond Gateway, but I guess they didn't build the maintenance part.

Finally, Pines must be Town of Pines, which is on the route between Beverly Shores and Michigan City (or the more inclusive Pine Twp.). Pine St. in South Bend is just a small street crossing Western Ave., the latter I assume would be the approach to downtown.

 

[MetroShadow]

On 8/2/2026 at 2:22 PM, Busjack said:

I put in bold what looked new or significant.

• Bears shuttle: Makes sense (and I think inevitable).
• Valparaiso and LaPorte: What's different in the map is that the Valpo line branches off the Lakeshore corridor at Chicago-Gary Airport instead of coming off the Monon Corridor at 45th St. in Munster, which makes sense since CN was never going to let them use the GTW.
• Gary Metro: While something needed to be done there because it didn't have a high level platform, I guess I should have anticipated that a new bus terminal would also be needed.
• New cars: They said the BEBs would be used on the extensions instead of catenary. But what hit me, aside from half the cars date from the 1980s and the newest sometime in the oughts, is that essentially there are only 2 spare cars. That's probably why they have been running Metra equipment.

On the other hand, the construction updates for the West Lake (now Monon) project said that they were building an MSF (maintenance and storage facility) at Hammond Gateway, but I guess they didn't build the maintenance part.

Finally, Pines must be Town of Pines, which is on the route between Beverly Shores and Michigan City (or the more inclusive Pine Twp.). Pine St. in South Bend is just a small street crossing Western Ave., the latter I assume would be the approach to downtown.

 

Judging from the map, it's relatively doable (at least the NICTD to CSX Sub), but a lot of real estate acquisition will be needed. 

[Busjack]

On 8/3/2026 at 10:52 PM, MetroShadow said:

Judging from the map, it's relatively doable (at least the NICTD to CSX Sub), but a lot of real estate acquisition will be needed. 

From trains.com Classic Trains, it sounds like the route of the former PRR Chicago-Valparaiso commuter line. I'm assuming that it went southeast of Tolleston (5th and Chase), which would be the  diagonal swath you depicted.

I remember hearing about it at the time, but never saw it. Obviously, the proposal is not to run it essentially by the Horseshoe Casino, the oil refinery, and Indiana Harbor steel mills, but it seems somewhat ironic and the way these things work that something that Indiana agencies, including NICTD, refused to support is being considered again.