GARY, Ind. (AP) _ Officials in Gary have narrowly voted to add the city to a joint agreement with area governments in support of extending the South Shore commuter rail.

The (Munster) Times reports City Council members in Gary voted 5-3 to the agreement Tuesday.

Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson says the agreement would lead to improvements to the current rail line that serves Gary. Opponents of the agreement argued money would only go toward an 8-mile extension to Dyer.

The agreement would see Gary pitch in 7.5 percent of its share of a Lake County tax to the project for 30 years. That equates to about $300,000 annually.

Other communities in the county have joined the agreement, but not Hammond and East Chicago.

The project is estimated to cost $571 million. Service is anticipated to begin in 2023.