MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) _ A blueprint for expanding and improving the South Shore commuter rail line over the next 20 years calls for $1.16 billion in new investments including station and track upgrades and an 8-mile extension to the Lake County town of Dyer.
The Times reports the strategic business plan was released Wednesday in Merrillville by officials with line operator Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority and consultant URS Corp.
They said the extension and improvements on the existing line connecting South Bend and Chicago were essential to the railroad's health and should be done in tandem.
The southward extension to Dyer, a community near the Indiana-Illinois border, is projected to cost $571 million and draw 5,600 riders per day.
