SOUTH BEND, Ind. — South Bend’s redevelopment commission has approved a request to start preliminary engineering work for a downtown South Shore Line commuter station, ABC 57 News reports.
The request identifies the city’s former Union Station as the preferred site for the station. It was one of five possibilities identified in a study completed earlier this year [see “South Bend gets first look at South Shore station options,” Trains News Wire, April 20, 2018]. The funds approved last week will determine whether the station should be above ground or at grade, examine the stability of existing bridges that might be used, and other issues.
The east end of South Shore’s commuter service is currently the South Bend airport, more than 4 miles from the proposed downtown site. It is reached by a circuitous route that currently requires 10 minutes to travel the last 2 miles. A study is also underway to consider a more direct route to the airport; that study will continue to determine the best option, or if both stations are a possibility.
