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The
South Shore Line is an
electrically poweredA railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
interurbanAn Interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad that enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were unpaved and could become nearly impassable during...
commuter rail line (
passengerA passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination.There are two common contexts in which the term is used:...
) operated by the
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (
NICTD) between Millennium Station in downtown
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
and the
South Bend Regional AirportSouth Bend Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of South Bend, a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. This airport is publicly owned by St. Joseph County Airport Authority...
in
South Bend, IndianaSouth Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total of 107,789 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
.
Freight serviceA freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by a locomotive on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
is operated by the
Chicago SouthShore and South Bend RailroadThe Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad , known to many as the South Shore Line, is a Class III freight railroad operating between Chicago, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana...
.
Chicago and Indiana Air Line Railway
The oldest predecessor of the line was the
Chicago and Indiana Air Line Railway, chartered on December 2, 1901. Service began in September, 1903, between
East Chicago, IndianaEast Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 32,414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
and Indiana Harbor (now a neighborhood of East Chicago, but once an independent municipality). The following year it was renamed the
Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend Railway. Revenue service began July 1, 1908, on the line from
Michigan CityMichigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, USA. It is one of two principal cities of and is included in the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area.It is also part of an area known...
east to
South BendSouth Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total of 107,789 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
. An extension west to State Line Junction in
HammondHammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 83,048 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
, a transfer point for other railroads, opened September 8.
Chicago Lake Shore and South Bend Railroad
The
Chicago Lake Shore and South Bend Railroad (
CLS&SB) began serving northern Indiana in 1908. It was part of the
InterurbanAn Interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad that enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were unpaved and could become nearly impassable during...
growth that was beginning across the United States. Unlike street cars, the 'South Shore Line' operated on a high voltage system that allowed for the use of standard railroad gauge equipment.
The
Illinois Central RailroadThe Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
-owned
Kensington and Eastern Railroad was chartered in
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
to complete the route, and was leased to the CLS&SB on April 4, 1909. That year the full line to
Kensington, IllinoisThe Kensington Station is a commuter rail station on the South Side section of the City of Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line north to Millennium Station and south to University Park and Blue Island; and the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indiana...
on the Illinois Central was completed, and from June 2, 1912, one, trains were coupled to IC
steam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. The term usually refers to its use on railways, but can also refer to a "road locomotive" such as a traction engine or steamroller....
s and ran all the way to downtown Chicago.
Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad
The Chicago Lake Shore and South Bend entered
receivershipReceivership is used to denote a situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver. In law, a receiver is a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." Various types of receiver...
on February 28, 1925, and was bought at
foreclosureForeclosure is the legal and professional proceeding in which a mortgagee, or other lien holder, usually a lender, obtains a court ordered termination of a mortgagor's equitable right of redemption. Usually a lender obtains a security interest from a borrower who mortgages or pledges an asset like...
by
Samuel InsullSamuel Insull was an Anglo-American investor based in Chicago who was known for purchasing utilities and railroads. He contributed to creating an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States...
's
Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (incorporated June 23) on June 29. The line handled both freight and passengers.
The power system was changed from 6600 volts
ACIn alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. An electric charge would for instance move forward, then backward, then forward, then backward, over and over again...
to 1500 volts
DCDirect current is the undirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also be through...
on July 28, 1926, allowing CSS&SB trains to operate directly to the Illinois Central's
Randolph Street TerminalMillennium Station is a major commuter rail terminal in downtown Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line to University Park, Blue Island, and South Chicago; and the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indiana...
without an engine change. Trains began running to Chicago on August 29. That same year, the original line between East Chicago and Indiana Harbor was abandoned.
The CSS&SB turned a profit during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
due to the industrial nature of Northern Indiana. However,
highwayA highway is a main road for travel by the public between important destinations, such as cities and states. Highway designs vary widely and can range from a two-lane road without margins to a multi-lane, grade separated motorway. In English and U.S...
competition and
suburbSuburbs are defined in various different ways around the world. They can be the residential areas of a large city, or separate residential communities within commuting distance of a city. Some suburbs have a degree of political autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city...
an growth led to ridership declines. By the 1950s all inter urban lines were seeing a decline in rail travel as auto travel increased. On September 16, 1956, a street-running section in
East ChicagoEast Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 32,414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
was removed with the building of a new alignment alongside the
Indiana Toll RoadThe Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East-West Toll Road is a 157 mile toll road that runs east-west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line...
. A truncation to west of downtown
South BendSouth Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total of 107,789 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
removed street trackage in that city from July 1, 1970. However, street trackage still exists in downtown
Michigan CityMichigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, USA. It is one of two principal cities of and is included in the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area.It is also part of an area known...
. In 1976, the South Shore filed with the
Interstate Commerce CommissionThe Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland...
to end passenger service. It was not approved.
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
The line was operated as the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad until it went bankrupt in 1989, when the NICTD, which was formed in 1977 to help fund the line, took over operations. The line's freight service was picked up in 1990 by the new
Chicago SouthShore and South Bend RailroadThe Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad , known to many as the South Shore Line, is a Class III freight railroad operating between Chicago, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana...
, which still operates freight service.
The NICTD is one of the few surviving interurbans in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with only the
Norristown High Speed LineThe Norristown High Speed Line , formerly known as Route 100, is an interurban line system operating between Upper Darby and Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. The system is operated by SEPTA, and runs entirely on its own right-of-way, inherited from the original Philadelphia and Western Railroad line...
and
SEPTA Suburban Trolley LinesSEPTA Routes 101 and 102 also known as the Media–Sharon Hill Line, are light rail lines operated by the Suburban Transit Division of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority...
in the
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.In 2008, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area's population of 5.8 million made it the country's fifth-largest...
area in the same category. The main
rail yardA rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
, shed and
dispatching officeA Train Dispatcher is employed by a railroad to direct and facilitate the movement of trains over an assigned territory, which is usually part, or all, of a railroad operating division...
are in
Michigan CityMichigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, USA. It is one of two principal cities of and is included in the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area.It is also part of an area known...
, with the corporate headquarters in
ChestertonChesterton is a town in Westchester, Jackson and Liberty townships, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 10,488 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chesterton is located at ....
.
The
Chesapeake and Ohio RailwayThe Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
bought the line on January 3, 1967. The CSS&SB was one of six railroads with "long-distance" passenger services to decline joining
AmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a blend of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union Station...
in 1971 and in 1976, they asked the
Interstate Commerce CommissionThe Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland...
to abandon passenger service. The ICC gave the State of Indiana a chance to reply and subsequently, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District was formed in 1977 to fund the service. When the railway went bankrupt, passenger service was taken over by the NICTD in December 1989. In December 1990, the track was sold to the NICTD and freight service was taken over by the new Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad, a subsidiary of
short lineA short line is an independent railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance. Short lines generally exist for one of three reasons: to link two industries requiring rail freight together ; to interchange revenue traffic with other, usually larger, railroads; or to operate a tourist...
operator
Anacostia and PacificAnacostia and Pacific Company is a transportation development and consulting firm responsible for the operations of several railroads:*Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad*Louisville and Indiana Railroad*New York and Atlantic Railway...
.
On November 21, 1992, an extension was opened from the old terminus at the
South Bend Amtrak stationSouth Bend is a train station in South Bend, Indiana. It is served by Amtrak Lake Shore Limited service to and from Chicago, Boston and New York, and Capitol Limited service to and from Chicago and Washington D.C.....
to the
South Bend AirportThe South Bend Airport station is a station stop and terminus operated by the South Shore Line located three miles northwest of the central business district of South Bend, a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States at South Bend Regional Airport...
.
As of November 2005, there is an ongoing debate pertaining to plans to relocate trackage off the streets of
Michigan CityMichigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, USA. It is one of two principal cities of and is included in the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area.It is also part of an area known...
.. In July 2009, NICTD announced its intention to relocate the Michigan City track 3/4th of a mile south of its current location in order to smooth out the curves, cut down the number of grade crossings, increase speed and reduce maintenance costs. The plan also calls for the elimination of the Carroll Avenue station and the construction of the new 11th Street station. The station would be built a block west of its current location, between Franklin and Washington streets. It would have a raised platform and a large parking lot. The plan would require a demolition of hundreds of residential and retail buildings currently located on the south side of 11th Street.
At a legislative hearing in October 2008, NICTD officials said they would drop further study of a Munster-to-Valparaiso route, known as the
West Lake CorridorThe 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 in Indiana...
, and begin study of a Gary-to-Valparaiso route. At the hearing, NICTD officials said the projected cost of $673 million for the Munster-to-Valparaiso route as well as low projected ridership would have made it ineligible for federal funding. NICTD officials contend the shorter length of a Gary-to-Valparaiso run as well as the chance to use existing tracks there may make it a lower-cost alternative to the Munster-to-Valparaiso route. NICTD plans to apply for federal funding for a preliminary engineering study and environmental survey of the Hammond-to-Lowell leg next year. Building that leg has a projected price tag of $551 million.
Concern over the price of gasoline as well as the growing population of Northern Indiana has increased the ridership of the South Shore Line enough to require the addition of new passenger railway cars to the line. In March 2009, 14 double-decker cars were put into service to help alleviate overcrowding on certain trains.
From the end of August until early November 2009, train service will be discontinued every other weekend to allow the railroad to replace the antiquated overhead power
catenaryIn physics and geometry, the catenary is the theoretical shape a hanging chain or cable will assume when supported at its ends and acted on only by its own weight. Its surface of revolution, the catenoid, is a minimal surface and will be the shape of a soap film bounded by two circles...
between
GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population was 102,746 at the 2000 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state. Gary was once the second largest city...
and
Michigan CityMichigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, USA. It is one of two principal cities of and is included in the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area.It is also part of an area known...
with a more modern constant-tension system to reduce sagging during summer months and breaking during bitter cold months. However, the ridership declined again in 2009.
During the September 25 2009 board meeting, NICTD voted to bring weekend and holiday fares in line with weekday fares on November 22, 2009, when the new weekend schedule will take effect. The weekend and holiday fares have been lower than weekday fares since 2003 as a promotion to encourage more riders. Jeff Parson, NICTD's marketing director, explained that the fare increase was needed to make up for a shortfall in revenue due to declining ridership.
Station stops
South Shore Line trains make the following station stops: (not all trains stop at all stations)
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
- Millennium Station (Randolph Street)
- Van Buren Street
The Van Buren Street Station is a commuter rail station in downtown Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line to University Park, Blue Island, and South Chicago neighborhood; and the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indiana....
- Museum Campus/11th Street
- McCormick Place
The McCormick Place Station is a commuter rail station in Chicago underneath McCormick Place, Chicago's main convention center, that serves the Metra Electric Line north to the Millennium Station and south to University Park, Blue Island, and South Chicago; and the South Shore Line to Gary and...
(weekends only) - flag stop
- 57th Street
The 57th Street Station is a commuter rail station within the city of Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line north to Millennium Station and south to University Park, Blue Island, and South Chicago; and the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indiana...
(moved from 59th StreetThe 59th Street Metra station is a railway station serves the Metra Electric Line in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The station looks over 59th street, originally the University of Chicago's southern border, and the Midway Plaisance...
in 2004)
- 63rd Street
The 63rd Street Station is a commuter rail station within the city of Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line north to Millennium Station and south to University Park, Blue Island, and the Chicago neighborhood of South Chicago and the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indiana...
(very limited service)
- Kensington
The Kensington Station is a commuter rail station on the South Side section of the City of Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line north to Millennium Station and south to University Park and Blue Island; and the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indiana...
- Hegewisch
The Hegewisch Station is a commuter rail station within the city of Chicago, Illinois, that serves the South Shore Line north to Millennium Station and east to the cities of Hammond, East Chicago, Gary, Michigan City, and South Bend, Indiana...
IndianaIndiana is a U.S. state, the 19
th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16
th in population and 17
th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38
th in land area, and is the...
- Hammond
The Hammond Station is a commuter rail station in Hammond, Indiana that serves the South Shore Line north to Millennium Station and east to East Chicago, Gary, Michigan City, and South Bend, Indiana. The station originally had ground-level platforms, but in 1998, the platforms were raised to...
- East Chicago
The East Chicago station is located on 5615 Indianapolis Boulevard in East Chicago, Indiana. The phone number is 398-0055. It serves the South Shore Line commuter rail line from Chicago, Illinois to South Bend, Indiana...
- Gary Airport / Clark Road (Gary/Chicago International Airport
Gary/Chicago International Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Gary, a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The airport, which serves the Chicago metropolitan area, is 25 miles southeast of the Chicago Loop...
) - flag stop
- Gary Metro Center
Gary Metro Center is a South Shore Line commuter station serving the city center of Gary, Indiana. It is one of three NICTD electric train stations in Gary, and serves the Genesis Convention Center, home of the Gary Steelheads basketball team, and the U.S. Steel Yard baseball park, home of the...
- Miller
Miller is a South Shore Line commuter station in Gary, Indiana serving the neighborhood of Miller. It is one of three NICTD electric train stations in Gary....
- Ogden Dunes
Ogden Dunes is a station in Porter County, Indiana serving the municipality of Ogden Dunes, Indiana. It is used by South Shore Line trains. Ogden Dunes is a semi-gated community with one major access road off of U.S...
/ Portage
- Dune Park
Dune Park is a station in unincorporated Porter County, Indiana located north of the municipalities of Chesterton and Porter. It is used by South Shore Line trains, and serves as the headquarters of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District , the umbrella agency that operates the South...
- Beverly Shores
Beverly Shores is a station in Beverly Shores, Indiana, called on by South Shore Line trains. The station also serves the nearby Town of Pines....
- flag stop
- 11th Street
The 11th Street station is a street stop in the central city neighborhood of Michigan City, Indiana. It is located adjacent to the historic 11th Street Station of the former Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad, which operated the station from 1927 until 1987.-History:The Chicago, South...
(Michigan CityMichigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, USA. It is one of two principal cities of and is included in the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area.It is also part of an area known...
)
- Carroll Avenue
The Carroll Avenue station is located on the east side of Michigan City, Indiana. For reasons of road access and parking, it, and not the 11th Street station also located in Michigan City, is the city's primary commuter station for South Shore Line service...
(Michigan CityMichigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, USA. It is one of two principal cities of and is included in the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area.It is also part of an area known...
)
- Hudson Lake
The Hudson Lake NICTD station is a station stop operated by the South Shore Line in the unincorporated community of Hudson Lake, Indiana. It is one of a very few interurban stations located in a rural region of the United States, being located approximately halfway between the much larger...
- flag stop
- South Bend Airport
The South Bend Airport station is a station stop and terminus operated by the South Shore Line located three miles northwest of the central business district of South Bend, a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States at South Bend Regional Airport...
All stops between Randolph Street and Kensington are also served by the
Metra Electric LineThe Metra Electric Line is an electrified commuter rail line owned and operated by Metra, connecting Millennium Station in downtown Chicago, with its southern suburbs...
. Metra owns the track in this territory. Because of this, the east-bound South Shore Line is loading only between those two stops; west-bound is unloading only.
In popular culture
- In the film Soul Food
Soul Food is a 1997 film, produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Tracey Edmonds, and Robert Teitel, and released by Fox 2000 Pictures. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film stars Vanessa L. Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey D. Sams, Irma P. Hall, Gina Ravera,...
, two sisters played by Vanessa L. WilliamsVanessa Lynn Williams is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Williams made history on September 17, 1983 when she became the first woman of African American descent to be crowned Miss America. Williams' reign as Miss America came to an abrupt end when scandal led to her subsequent...
and Vivica A. FoxVivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Independence Day, Set It Off, Soul Food, Why Do Fools Fall In Love and Kill Bill: Vol...
get into a fight over a boyfriend in the street in front of the South Shore station located on Exchange Avenue.
- In the film The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight is a superhero crime thriller film directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role...
, Batman rides his motorcycle through Millennium Station to continue pursuit of The Joker.
External links