By PAULENE POPARAD

While no fare increase is contemplated for the South Shore passenger service in 2008, its weekend schedule might be revamped in the spring to add a morning express train from South Bend to Chicago and a return train at night.

The change would free up one or two more weekend trains to stop west of Michigan City including at Porter County’s Dune Park Station.

Ridership out of the South Bend Regional Airport, where the South Shore station was opened in 1992, totals 238,192 passengers this year through Oct. 31, which is posing a mixed blessing for railroad officials.

While the current South Shore weekend schedule having all trains arrive at and depart stations every two hours is easy for occassional riders to remember, there’s been a dramatic increase in South Bend weekend ridership, general manager Gerald Hanas told members of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District on Friday.

More train cars to accomodate extra passengers who take a longer time to board are resulting in some trains being held on sidings when meeting another train in single-track territory. “That gymnastics has caused chronic delays when trains become crowded,” said Hanas.

NICTD marketing director John Parsons said South Bend ridership increased almost 22 percent in 2006 over 2005 and 5.3 percent again through October year-to-date. And while overall South Shore ridership dipped by about 5 percent for the recent five-day Thanksgiving holiday period, South Bend ridership jumped 11 percent.

Hanas said although one or two trains would be dropped from the South Bend weekend schedule, it’s anticipated that the express trains could be well marketed and accepted there.

Parsons predicted the South Shore again will carry over 4.2 million total passengers this year for a 1 or 2 percent increase over 2006, a year that set a NICTD ridership record.

The 2008 business plan adopted by NICTD board members Friday anticipates changing the weekend schedule, said Hanas. Total expenses of $52.6 million are identified as is income of $18.2 million from passenger fares. The $34.3 million operating loss is offset by depreciation and by $41.8 million in non-operating revenue including state, federal and other funding for a projected net income of $7.5 million.

During 2008 NICTD plans to begin installation of a new closed-circuit video monitoring system in its passenger cars, and the first of 14 new double-decker passenger cars will begin arriving at year’s end. Hanas also said it’s hoped construction can begin on a bypass track at the Kensington interlocking where the South Shore joins the Metra tracks in Illinois, a persistent bottleneck.

According to Hanas, “We think we’re the closest we’ve ever been to making it happen. This could be a tremendous benefit to us.” He noted NICTD has been negotiating for four years with Metra and the Canadian National/Illinois Central Railroad to build the bypass. Currently, South Shore trains have to hit a four-minute window regulated by an off-site computer; speeds through Kensington, if trains aren’t held altogether, can be only 10 mph.

About 80 percent of the estimated $6 million Kensington cost would be financed with federal funds.

Ongoing work for the South Shore’s new signal system and for a revamp of the original overhead electric catenary infrastructure are on schedule, it was reported. “The operational benefits are tremendous,” said Hanas of the computerized signal system, which should be in service for more points west from Michigan City by year’s end.

The catenary work, which is taking place at night and on weekends from Gary to Kensington, is a precision operation, said Hanas. “It’s not just new conductors. It’s very, very involved. There’s a lot less weight hanging over the tracks now.”

In other business, the NICTD board approved $2.43 million in low or only bids for materials and equipment including $426,487 from Oselka Construction Co. of Union Pier, Mich. for earthwork and additional tracks at the Michigan City yards to accomodate the new passenger cars ordered.

Also accepted were bids of $260,835 from Nordco, Oak Creek, Wisc. for a tie inserter/remover; $725,585 from Harsco Track Technologies, West Columbia, SC for a tamper to align tracks; $321,264 for rail from L.B. Foster of Oak Brook, Ill.; $420,390 for cross ties and switch ties from Burke-Parsons of Ripley, WV; and $276,300 for ballast from Vulcan Materials Co., Francessville, IN.

NICTD board members, who represent St. Joseph, LaPorte, Porter and Lake counties, also engaged the accounting firm of Crowe Chizek for $80,500 to perform an annual audit.

Posted 12/3/2007

Posted 12/3/2007

Posted 12/3/2007