Private operation

The South Shore Line was constructed between 1901 and 1908 by the Chicago and Indiana Air Line Railway (reorganized as the Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend Railway [CLS&SB] in 1904). Revenue service between Michigan City and South Bend began on July 1, 1908. The CLS&SB leased the Kensington and Eastern Railroad on April 4, 1909, giving it access to Chicago. That year the full line to Kensington on the Illinois Central was completed, and beginning on June 2, 1912, the electric cars were coupled to IC steam locomotives and run to downtown Chicago.^[6]

A Chicago, Lake Shore & South Bend limited train near the Indiana Dunes in the 1920s

The Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend entered bankruptcy in 1925 and was bought by Samuel Insull's Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (CSS&SB).^[7] The line continued to handle both freight and passengers. Under Insull, the CSS&SB embarked on a major rehabilitation program. This included new ballast and ties, 100-pound (45 kg) rail in place of 70-pound (32 kg) rail, brush clearance, and an overhaul of the line's block signals.^[8] In 1949, the company acquired three Little Joe electric locomotives for freight service. These locomotives had originally been constructed for the Soviet Union, but changing attitudes due to the Cold War prevented them from being delivered. Although the exact same type as the Milwaukee Joes, the South Shore bought them before the Milwaukee did. These locomotives continued in freight service on the CSS&SB until 1983. No. 803, is preserved in operating condition at the Illinois Railway Museum.

The power system was changed from 6600 volts AC to 1500 volts DC on July 28, 1926, allowing trains to operate directly to the Illinois Central Railroad's Randolph Street Terminal (now Millennium Station) without an engine change. Trains began running to Randolph Street on August 29.^[9] That same year, the original line between East Chicago and Indiana Harbor was abandoned.^[6]

The Chicago South Shore and South Bend turned a profit during World War II due to the industrial nature of Northern Indiana. However, highway competition and suburban growth led to ridership declines. By the 1950s all interurban lines were seeing a decline in rail travel as automobile use increased.^[10] On September 16, 1956, a street running section in East Chicago was removed with the building of a new alignment alongside the Indiana Toll Road. A truncation to west of downtown South Bend removed street trackage in that city from July 1, 1970.^[6]

A Pullman Company electric interurban unit heading west toward Michigan City in 1980.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway acquired the CSS&SB on January 3, 1967 and continued the operation of passenger services.^[11] The Chicago South Shore and South Bend was one of six railroads with long-distance passenger services to decline joining Amtrak in 1971 and in 1976, they asked the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to abandon passenger service. The ICC gave the state of Indiana a chance to reply and subsequently, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) was formed in 1977 to subsidize service.

Public operation

Southbound NICTD South Shore train, led by car No. 109, seen entering the 55th–56th–57th Street station in Hyde Park (Chicago)

In the late 1980s, the Chicago South Shore and South Bend went bankrupt and on December 29, 1989, passenger service was assumed by NICTD.^[12] In December 1990, the track was sold to NICTD and freight service was taken over by the new Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, a subsidiary of short line operator Anacostia & Pacific. On November 21, 1992, the line's South Bend terminus moved from the Amtrak station to the airport.^[13] On July 5, 1994, NICTD closed the Ambridge, Kemil Road, Willard Avenue, LaLumiere, Rolling Prairie, and New Carlisle flag stops. A seventh station, Dune Acres, closed around the same time once parking was expanded at nearby Dune Park.^[14]

The railroad began a 3-year project in 2009 to replace all catenary on its line between Michigan City and Gary, some of which was nearly 90 years old. The project cost $18 million and caused service disruptions on weekends while new wires were strung.^[15]

The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE), replaced a bridge on the South Shore Line across 130th Street, Torrence Avenue, and Norfolk Southern tracks in the Hegewisch neighborhood of Chicago as a part of a four-year project lasting from 2011 to 2015.^[16][17] The 2,350 ton bridge would be put in place in August 2012.^[18]

In 2015 NICTD began an express service between South Bend and Chicago. Targeted at business travelers, the train makes just two intermediate stops: Dune Park and East Chicago. The total scheduled travel time is 1 hour 55 minutes, more than thirty minutes faster than existing services.^[19]

In July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, NICTD implemented "mask optional cars" for riders choosing not to wear masks, as Indiana did not have a statewide mask mandate.^[20] This has received controversial reception, as it does not help slow down the spread of the coronavirus disease, and the "mask optional" car is also the only car with bike racks.^[21][22] On November 14, 2020, the "mask optional cars" were discontinued, requiring all passengers to wear a mask.^[23][24]

Current

South Shore Line
In service	1982–present
Manufacturer	Nippon Sharyo
Constructed	1982–1983, 1992, 2001
Number built	68
Formation	Married-pair
Fleet numbers	1–48, 201–210, 101–110
Capacity	93[25]
Operators	CSS&SB, NICTD
Lines served	South Shore Line
Specifications
Car body construction	stainless steel
Car length	85 ft (25.91 m)[25]
Width	10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)[25]
Height	15 ft 11 in (4.85 m)[25]
Wheel diameter	36 in (914 mm)[25]
Wheelbase	8 ft 2+1⁄2 in (2.502 m)[25]
Maximum speed	79 mph (127 km/h)[25]
Weight	118,000 lb (54,000 kg)[25] (empty)
Traction system	IGBT-VVVF (Toshiba)[26]
Traction motors	3-phase AC induction motor (Toshiba)[26]
HVAC	Electric heating, Air conditioning
Electric system(s)	Overhead line, 1,500 V DC
Current collector(s)	Pantograph
UIC classification	Bo’Bo’+Bo’Bo’
AAR wheel arrangement	B-B+B-B
Bogies	ND-312[25]
Coupling system	Tomlinson
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

A bi-level unit in service in 2009.

A bi-level unit at Millennium Station in 2017.

The South Shore Line operates with a fleet of 82 rail cars built between 1982 and 2009 by Nippon Sharyo. The fleet consists of 58 single-level self-propelled cars, 10 single-level unpowered trailers, and 14 bilevel self-propelled cars.^[27] The single level fleet's design shares commonalities with MARC's locomotive-hauled MARC II fleet, which were also built by Nippon Sharyo.^[28] An additional 26 cars are planned to be acquired, replacing those to be transferred to West Lake Corridor services.^[29]

Retired

A CLS&SB wood-bodied interurban car at a siding

CSS&SB no. 102, built by Pullman in 1926, street-running in South Bend in 1962

CSS&SB no. 31, built by Standard Steel Car in 1929, at Randolph Street in 1968

Pullman and the Standard Steel Car Company delivered electric multiple units to the CSS&SB between 1926 and 1929. Many were lengthened in the 1940s and 1950s.^[30]

Michigan City realignment

South Shore train at the 11th Street stop in Michigan City, Indiana

Since 2005, there has been an ongoing debate pertaining to plans to relocate trackage off the streets of Michigan City.^[34] In July 2009, NICTD announced its intention to relocate the Michigan City track south of its current location in order to smooth out the curves, cut down the number of grade crossings, increase speed and reduce maintenance costs.^[35] The plan also calls for the replacement of both current stations with a single new station located a block west of the current 11th Street boarding location (between Franklin and Washington streets) with a modern, high-level platform and parking lot. The plan would require a demolition of residential and retail buildings currently located on the south side of 11th Street.^[36]

The relocation effort faced a setback in March 2010 when NICTD announced that it was short necessary funds to complete the preliminary engineering study. Unless the funding was found, the relocation would have been postponed indefinitely since, without the engineering study, NICTD would not be able to get state and federal funds necessary to complete the relocation.^[37] NICTD and the city continued to work on obtaining the funds needed.^[38] In 2011 NICTD accepted bids for a $1 million study, expected to take 18 months.^[39] The study was completed in October 2013. The preferred alternative identified by the study preserves an alignment similar to the current route but relocates the tracks alongside the street. It proposes replacing the two existing stations with a new station near the center of Michigan City.^[40] The realignment would be done as a part of the double track project from Gary to Michigan City.^[41]

Street running ended on February 27, 2022. Currently, buses are to replace trains within this section until the opening of the new alignment.^[42][43] Service between Dune Park and Carroll Avenue resumed on October 25, 2023.^[44]

West Lake Corridor

West Lake Corridor
to Millennium Station 0.0 Millennium Station 0.8 mi 1.3 km Van Buren Street 1.4 mi 2.3 km Museum Campus/11th St. IC West Line to Addison 2.7 mi 4.3 km McCormick Place 51st–53rd St. (Hyde Park) Metra trains only 7.0 mi 11.3 km 57th Street Chicago "L" Jackson Park branch 7.9 mi 12.7 km 63rd Street Metra Electric to South Chicago Calumet to Chicago Kensington/115th Street Metra trains only Red to Howard (planned) Metra Electric to University Park & Blue Island 130th (planned) I-94 Bishop Ford Freeway Calumet River 19.0 mi 30.6 km Hegewisch Illinois Indiana reroute Hammond Gateway Station maintenance and storage facility Hammond (to close) to South Bend Airport Grand Calumet River Downtown Hammond (future) South Hammond I-80 / I-94 Little Calumet River Munster Ridge Road Amtrak to Chicago CSXT Elsdon Subdivision Munster/Dyer Main Street Dyer Amtrak to New York

NICTD planned to apply for federal funding for a preliminary engineering study and environmental survey of a Hammond-to-Lowell leg in 2009. As of 2008, that leg had a projected price tag of $551 million.^[45] As of 2019, the cost has increased to $665 million. NICTD was awarded funding in the spring of 2020 and the line broke ground in October 2020.^[46] The project is estimated to open to revenue service in 2025.^[47]

The new line will run through Munster to Dyer, with a possible later extension to St. John, and trains will run as shuttles between Hammond and Dyer during off-peak hours.^[48] The alignment of the new branch leaves the old CSS&SB main immediately before the current Hammond station. Hence, the NICTD has decided to build a new station in Hammond to serve both branches.^[49]

Valparaiso branch

At a legislative hearing in October 2008, NICTD officials said they would drop further study of a Munster-to-Valparaiso route, and begin study of a Gary–Valparaiso route. At the hearing, NICTD officials said the projected cost of $673 million for the Munster-to-Valparaiso route as well as low projected ridership would have made it ineligible for federal funding and opted to study the Gary-to-Valparaiso route instead.^[50] The Gary-to-Valparaiso route would utilize the partially abandoned former Pennsylvania Railroad line. NICTD officials contend the shorter length of a Gary-to-Valparaiso run and the chance to use existing tracks there may make it a lower-cost alternative to the Munster-to-Valparaiso route.

Extension to Elkhart

In the 1980s and 1990s, there was some discussion about the possibility of extending the line from South Bend east to Elkhart County, Indiana.^[51][52] In 1988, Elkhart, Indiana Mayor James Perron pushed for the government to look into making long-term plans for an extension into his city.^[53]

Proposed new stations

There are proposals to replace the South Bend terminus with a new station.

There is a proposal to reestablish a station in New Carlisle.^[54]