Twenty-five years ago when Curtis Vosti worked for the mayor’s office in Hammond, Indiana, he and others thought of extending the South Shore Train Line into Munster, about 8 miles south from downtown Hammond.
Two decades later and nearly $2 billion in construction costs, Vosti boarded the train with his wife, Marisol, Tuesday at the new station just blocks from his home in Munster.
“I worked on this project when it was just in the imagination stage,” Vosti said. “Working in government, you know that good projects take some time to get done. This is a very proud day for everyone.”
The $1.6 billion extension is known as the Monon Corridor, named after a rail line from decades ago that is no longer in service. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) operates the South Shore Train Line that runs east-to-west from Millennium Station in Chicago to the South Bend Airport. The new line is its first that runs north to south, reaching Munster and Dyer.
The day got off to a rough start, with threatening skies pushing back the beginning of the dedication.
“Today is a great day for the city of Hammond and for all of Northwest Indiana,” said Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr., at the new station, just feet from the Illinois-Indiana state line. “We're here to celebrate the opening of the Monon corridor, a transformational expansion of the South Shore line and a major investment in our region's future.”
The South Shore Line now extends to Munster and Dyer, marking a new path for those who commute to Chicago.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Over the past decade, NICTD leveraged federal and state dollars to make significant improvements to its line — from a double-tracking project that reduces travel times between Michigan City and Gary to the new Monon Corridor. The train line’s history dates back to the early 1900s.
“The Monon Corridor expands rail access, strengthens connectivity and positions our region for long-term growth and the imp
