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Two multi-million-dollar construction projects that represent an approximately $1.5 billion investment to the South Shore Line are on schedule, according to officials from the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. South Shore Line President Michael Noland told the board that the double-...

Three passenger cars plus baggage seems to have been the winter consist for at least the last couple of years. The baggage car allows them to run with regular coach instead of a coach-baggage car. I'd prefer two coaches (one coach plus one coach-baggage) but I don't run the railroad. The baggage car...

A quick trip on Saturday ... A few feet of rail has been added near the end of Bailey North freight. 20230128-MineralSprings.jpg The support for the control box for the platform lights and signs at Beverly Shores has been errected. 20230128-BeverlyShores.jpg I managed to get a less blurry picture fr...

Here is Metra''s project page ...
https://metra.com/VanBurenStationProject

"Construction focused on certain below-grade station platform and track improvements, which are NICTD project components, are expected to begin in 2023."

I have barely heard a description of the 4th track at Van Buren. I was hoping for a project website similar to DTNWI and West Lake. Good to hear it is actually progressing. With the additional trains NICTD wants to add having that platform will be a benefit.

NICTD's posted "to do" list for Michigan City ... Throughout 2023 the following work is expected to be completed in Michigan City: * Completion of remaining sidewalks along 11th Street and the North/South intersections at Oak, Franklin, Washington, Wabash, and Ohio streets. * Installation of a fenci...

I was referring to the bigger picture of doing the right thing. Which would include immediately calling the railroad when there is an emergency on a railroad track (something first responders also did). Assuming that the engineer will see the blinky lights and that physics will allow a train to be s...

Ridership was 3.284 million in 2019. Unfortunately peak ridership (in the NICTD era) was 2007. 4.245 million passengers. 3.284 million is still a lot better than the 1.5 million the South Shore carried in 1977 when NICTD was established, but I set my expectations of a "rebound" appropriately. I won'...

Regarding those offset lights, could those be side-lights for 11th Street? Odd if true, that they're bi-directional. I guess, as you said, time will tell. The photo posted a couple of weeks ago (with the pink arrow) shows Lafayette St with the offset over the sidewalk lights turned to face north-so...

And now a little confusion. Where lights have been installed along 11th St, the lights are offset over the sidewalk. I am not sure why they would do this. The lights on the southbound gates are not offset. My best guess is that the north side (southbound) lights were the ones that should have been o...

At the 11th St Station. The first portion of the roof has been placed on the south platform. The gauntlet on track 2 was completed about a week ago. 20230122-11thSt-Station1.jpg 20230122-11thSt-Station2.jpg At Wabash St the fence that will line the dividing wall is in place. 20230122-11thSt-Wabash.j...

Lets start this week with a chase ... eight cars returning to shops for maintenance. Shown at Sheridan, Willard and Cedar St. Crossing lights are active at Sheridan and Willard, however only the "island" circuits are active so the train has to stop and roll forward slowly to make sure there is enoug...

Photos from Lafayette and 11th St ... I made a diagram of all of the road signs at the intersection directing traffic. South bound traffic will have the right of way except when a train is present. The sidewalk north of the tracks is marked as a pedestrian crossing. (The southbound stop sign is temp...

There is a video of the incident on WWMT’s story. https://wwmt.com/news/local/rollover-crash-closes-west-centre-avenue-portage-shaver-portage-department-public-safety From the article: "When officers arrived, they found two vehicles, both damaged, police said. The department did call the railroad t...

Well as safety officer of my fire department if you guys can't stop a train on tangent track with red and blue lights next to a crossing then somebody doesn't have situational awareness of their surroundings. You really need to get some training from Operation Life Saver or some other authority tha...

At Lafayette St a special "no left turn" sign from Signal-Tech has been installed. (The location may need to be adjusted for better visibility.) 20230108-11thSt-Lafayette.jpg Out west, the new main track has been laid next to the platform at Dune Park. The gauntlet rails need to be installed. 202301...

Starting in Michigan City ... Signal work continues. The westbound signals at 11th St station and the crosswalk signals at the east end of the platform have been placed. 20230108-11thSt-Station1.jpg 20230108-11thSt-Station2.jpg Some assembly required ... the ties for the track 2 gauntlet are on site...

RailRoadFan ride along ...

Back in Michigan City my camera didn't work as well as expected but most of the lights are on between Wabash St and Spring St along 11th St.

Off to the west - The zoom lens shows the reconstruction at Tremont. Track 1 remains cut waiting for new crossovers between track 1 and track 2. (Yes, there the coal empties are approaching in the background.) 20230101-Tremont.jpg At dune park both gaunlet switches are being worked on. The east swit...