NICTD secures $27.5 million RRIF loan for Double Track Project

Dec. 27, 2022

The project will build nearly 18 miles of double track between Gary and Michigan City, Ind.

NICTD secured a $27.5 million RRIF loan for its South Shore Double Track Project.

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) received a $27.5 million Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Build America Bureau.

The RRIF loan will support construction activity for the $649.5-million South Shore Double Track Project, which will add a second track between Gary and Michigan City, Ind., to deliver more competitive passenger rail service options.

“We are pleased to help finance the Double Track Project, which will increase safety, reliability and cut travel time by one-third for commuters from Michigan City to Chicago,” said USDOT Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “This project will deliver improved trip options, taking vehicles off the road and reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.”

Rail being delivered in January 2022 for the South Shore Double Track project.

The project, which broke ground in June 2022 and should be complete at the end of 2024 includes nearly 18 miles of double tracking and overhead power system installation, separating vehicular traffic along two miles of street-running rail line, upgrading five stations, eliminating 13 grade crossings and adding 1,475 parking spaces. The remaining crossings will be upgraded with automatic warning devices, including flashers, gates and bells.

“The South Shore Line upgrades will not only benefit commuters, but the entire region, as transit-oriented development is induced, and new jobs are created,” said Build America Bureau Executive Director Morteza Farajian. “Eliminating shared use of the single track and the road/train crossings greatly enhances safety for riders and drivers.”

The South Shore Double Track Project is also being partially funded with $24 million through the American Rescue Act and through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants Program. The project was awarded a $172.96 million Full Funding Grant Agreement in January 2021.

Additionally, the Double Track RRIF loan is the second such loan NICTD has secured. The district received a $203.3 million RRIF loan in June 2022 for help in delivering the West Lake Corridor Commuter Rail Project, which is an eight-mile extension of the South Shore Line between Dyer and Hammond, Ind.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.