The South Shore Line Double Track project in northwest Indiana is quickly nearing completion this spring with revenue service officially set to begin in April after two years of construction.

The Walsh/Herzog joint venture team broke ground in early 2022 on this two-phase project that adds 16.9 miles of new double track within the 26-mile South Shore Line rail corridor operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD). The double tracking, once completed, will allow increased service capacity and train speeds. Travel time from Michigan City to Chicago will be cut from 1 hour and 40 minutes to a 67-minute trip.

In October 2023 the Walsh/Herzog team completed the project’s first phase of double tracking between Dune Park and Michigan City. Since late 2023, the Walsh/Herzog team has been double tracking the rail corridor between Dune Park and Gary as part of the project’s second phase. This newly double tracked segment reached substantial completion in February and was turned over to NICTD for final testing and commissioning activities.

Test trains began running on February 21. Trains were first pulled through the new double track alignment at a walking speed to check envelope clearances and connections between the train’s pantograph and overhead contact wire. Dynamic train testing (trains operating at normal speeds) was then conducted from February 23rd until February 25th, when all train testing concluded. The project team is now into the final stages of construction and start-up activities as they prepare for revenue service to resume in April followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony in May with the Governor of Indiana.