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Feb
6
Gary Airport - South Shore Rail Link Makes Sense
Filed Under Gary, Gary Chicago Airport, Gary Indiana, Rudy Clay, South Shore Line
A military jet at the Gary Chicago Airport during last year’s Gary Airshow.
I’m going to have to agree with Gary Mayor Rudy Clay that the Gary Chicago Airport should have a rail link from the South Shore line.
O’Hare and Midway airports are served by passenger rail service.
Linking the Gary Chicago airport to the South Shore increases its competitiveness by allowing passengers from Illinois and Indiana to travel to the airport without driving. There will be pressure to build a rail spur to the airport, so we might as well do it now, rather than waiting later when construction and land acquisition costs are greater.
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4 Responses to “Gary Airport - South Shore Rail Link Makes Sense”
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No way. GCA is a white elephant. We shouldn’t be throwing good money after bad at it.
What the hell is a “spur” anyway? How does that work?
Wouldn’t it be better and cheaper to just have a bus go to an existing station?
Hi Buzz,
As I was driving to Chicago this morning, I was thinking that maybe a monorail from a nearby train station could be a cheaper option. The monorail could run from the casinos in East Chicago and Buffington Harbor to the airport and stop at the rail stop to pick up passengers wanting to transfer.
I wonder if that would be cheaper than running a rail spur.
The casinos are going to want to have something also, so why not tie it into an airport / South Shore link and have them chip in since they’ll pick up patrons traveling in on the South Shore and the airplanes once passenger service is able to survive there.
A spur, or ’service’ as it is preferably referred to, is a great idea for the GCA. Without doing my homework, I would instinctively posit that the South Shore service link to the GCA would be more affordable than a monorail. So, yes, adding airport service from the South Shore Line is a great idea. What is of concern to me is how Mayor Clay and Senator Rogers are trying to make it a requisite to extending the South Shore Line.
As Congressman Visclosky stated, you need a federal study to be completed for the GCA service, and that has not been done. That federal study is necessary for that project to be eligible for federal dollars. It’s a big project. Rerouting some railroad tracks is a big deal.
So the South Shore extension is a good idea, AND so is the GCA/South Shore ’spur’. What is wrong is to think that they are intrinsically tied together, and demand that they be sharing legislation (HB1220) at this time. Until Senator Rogers, or Representative Brown, or Representative Smith, or someone spearheads some positive action on the airport, we shouldn’t be hampering the South Shore extension. They’re both great projects, but don’t kill the one just because the other isn’t ready.
Unfortunately, things take time. I am pro-extension, and pro-GCA. Let’s make them happen.
Hi Concerned,
Thanks for stopping in and explaining the need for the federal study before federal money can be obtained.
I hope the South Shore extension is able to survive the legislative sausage factory in Indianapolis so that it can do some good for Northwest Indiana.
Chris