- West Lake Corridor
Infobox SG rail
railroad_name=West Lake Corridor
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locale=Chicago toValparaiso, IN andLowell, IN
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hq_city=Chesterton, IN The West Lake Corridor is a proposal for commuter rail service to serve the city of
Chicago, Illinois , and the cities of Hammond, Highland, Griffith, Valparaiso, Hobart, Cedar Lake, Munster, Merrillville, Dyer, and Lowell inIndiana . According to one studied alignment, [http://www.nictd-wlc.com/images/previous_study_alignments.pdf] the line is to follow theMetra Electric Line to Kensington, then roughly the South Shore Line,Norfolk Southern (former Nickel Plate) andIndiana Harbor Belt Railroad to Hammond, and the abandonedMonon Railroad right of way, splitting at Munster to Valparaiso and Lowell. A map in the report describes an alternative bus service considered in the study, [http://www.nictd-wlc.com/alternative4.htm] apparently to meet aFederal Transit Administration requirement that several modal and alignment options be addressed in the "Alternatives Analysis," [http://www.fta.dot.gov/transit_data_info/reports_publications/publications/transit_research_publications/15062_ENG_HTML.htm] but that alternative would not eliminate overloading on the main South Shore line.New Start Studies
It was decided in mid-
2000 that population and commercial growth in Lake and Porter counties inNorthwest Indiana justified an expansion of the commuter rail services offered by theNorthern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD). A more recent study confirms the economic benefits; [http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/06/23/news/top_news/e22ffeaf730c9cdb86257195007bd136.txt] however, a laterAssociated Press -WJOB story indicates that NICTD has some doubt whether the community is growing at a rate that would qualify for federal funding for the project, and whether it could use the CN line to Valparaiso. [http://www.wjobcalpress.com/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2006-09-10&-token.story=148557.112113&-token.subpub=]Train Service
Chicago to Valparaiso - This service would extend a total of 51.2 miles from Valparaiso to Chicago along the
Chicago Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad , theCanadian National Railway to the Monon Corridor, and then toChicago as described above.Possible stations on the Valparaiso Line
* Valparaiso
* Hobart
* Merrillville
* Highland
* Munster
* Hammond (both downtown and 173rd Street)Lowell to Downtown Chicago – This service would extend a total of 45.8 miles from Lowell to Chicago along the CSX Railroad, to the Monon Corridor, and then as above.
Possible stations on the Lowell line
* Lowell
* Cedar Lake
* St. John
* Dyer (U.S. Route 30 )
* Munster
* Hammond (downtown and 173rd Street)Stations on the Metra Electric
It is foreseen that both services would also stop at following stations on Metra's Electric Line:
* 57th Street
* Roosevelt Road
* Van Buren Street
*Millennium Station External links
* [http://www.nictd-wlc.com West Lake Corridor]
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