A plan to build support for the extension of the South Shore to Lowell and Valparaiso is being sponsored by Northwest Indiana legislators, business groups and the local media.
The extension would cost $1 billion. About $500 million would have to be raised locally to match federal funds.
The state of Indiana would be required to pay yearly in excess of $20 million to subsidize the new service. The state already pays $15 million a year subsidizing the existing South Shore service.
Although the train is used by many to go to Chicago for shopping and sporting events, only about 4,000 people in Lake and Porter County regularly ride the train to work. That number in Porter County is only about 740.
So few ride the train from Porter County because of the time it takes to get to work. If you ride the train from Dunes Station to downtown Chicago, you will spend at least 4 hours a day going to and from the station and riding the train to work. That is if you live near the station and a train is ready to leave at exactly the time you need. A realistic travel time from Dunes Station is 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours.
The U. S. Census says only about 2 percent of our work force spends over 90 minutes a day going one way to work. A limited number of people are going to give up 4 or 5 hours a day to get to work.
If the train comes to Valparaiso, the time to travel downtown will be about the same as from Dunes Station.
Many who support this expansion say it will be good for economic development. They use towns such as Naperville in Illinois as an example. The difference is that the express ride from Naperville to downtown Chicago is only about 40 minutes.
The South Shore has been established in Porter County for years and has several stops in the county. It goes through the most populated area of the county.
If only 740 people from Porter County regularly ride this train to work, you must ask yourself how many will ride it if it is extended to Valparaiso?
There are a lot more questions that need to be answered about this train before we saddle the citizens with additional taxes to support it.
