Mass Transit Expands in Northwest Indiana, Finally???

Possible New Lines for the South Shore

Looks like they're gonna make an effort to expand the South Shore System. About time, too.

This has been planned for a while, and has been in the news on occasion. Not only that, but the line to Valparaiso would revive transit service that occurred there until 1993. The fact that there was no real MTA for Lake and/or Porter Counties (outside of a group whose sole purpose was to beg for a source of money so it could do more than beg for a source of money) held up these plans for so long.

I hope they're able to work it so there's decent two-way traffic during the whole day and into the weekend, instead of rush-hour only service. I hope they add in a station at 173rd near Hohman, so I can walk to use it (it's not on the list, but is strongly considered). And I hope this is indeed an expansion, and not part of some hairbrained plan to switch lines with the Grand Trunk/CN along the route where the present Chicago-Valparaiso line is being planned (While the Republicans believe mass transit is evil, it wouldn't surprise me if the idea had passed through their head -- and they rejected it because of the cost of doing so). I also wouldn't mind if they actually tried out a route that went straight up instead of the presently planned hookover into Calumet City (better access throughout the county, although it'd be strange to see the center point of a system to far askew).

But, if nothing else, it's good to see things finally moving towards fruition.