HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - A federal agency says it doesn't believe a plan to extend the South Shore commuter rail line to Valparaiso is likely to happen anytime soon. A draft environmental impact statement issued by the federal Surface Transportation Board found the extension plan is not "a reasonably foreseeable future action."
The statement assessed the effects of Canadian National railroad's proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway. Officials with the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District had hoped to use the federal proceeding as leverage in their negotiations to secure right of way from Canadian National for the extension.
The district is conducting a feasibility study of the proposed extension, which would add 51 miles of track for extensions to Lowell in southern Lake County, then east to Valparaiso in Porter County.
According to posts on a Indiana-related railroad message board, this isn't much of a surprise. In fact, it's not a surprise at all. IIRC, those pushing this idea were talking about using Major Moves money at one time (Major Moves = money from the lease of the Indiana Toll Road).
