* 4/1/26 - WBEZ - South Shore Line extends service to Munster, Dyer with new stations - Northwest Indiana officials say the $943 million extension rail extension could create an economic boom for the area + Hoosier new train route - Railfans flock to NW Indiana for maiden voyage on South Shore Line’s Monon Corridor
Buzz Sawyer
South Shore Line extends service to Munster, Dyer with new stations
Northwest Indiana officials say the $943 million extension rail extension could create an economic boom for the area.
By Michael Puente Apr 1, 2026, 6:52am CDTTwenty-five years ago when Curtis Vosti worked for the mayor’s office in Hammond, Indiana, he and others thought of extending the South Shore Train Line into Munster, about 8 miles south from downtown Hammond.
Two decades later and nearly $1 billion in construction costs, Vosti boarded the train with his wife, Marisol, Tuesday at the new station just blocks from his home in Munster.
“I worked on this project when it was just in the imagination stage,” Vosti said. “Working in government, you know that good projects take some time to get done. This is a very proud day for everyone.”
The $943 million extension is known as the Monon Corridor, named after a rail line from decades ago that is no longer in service. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) operates the South Shore Train Line that from Millennium Station in Chicago to the South Bend Airport. The new line is its first that runs north to south, reaching Munster and Dyer.
The day got off to a rough start, with threatening skies pushing back the beginning of the dedication.
“Today is a great day for the city of Hammond and for all of Northwest Indiana,” said Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr., at the new station, just feet from the Illinois-Indiana state line. “We’re here to celebrate the opening of the Monon corridor, a transformational expansion of the South Shore line and a major investment in our region’s future.”
Over the past decade, NICTD leveraged federal and state dollars to make significant improvements to its line — from a double-tracking project that reduces travel times between Michigan City and Gary to the new Monon Corridor. The train line’s history dates back to the early 1900s.
“The Monon Corridor expands rail access, strengthens connectivity and positions our region for long-term growth and the impact is already being felt. This project, along with the double track expansion, is driving billions of dollars in investment, creating thousands of jobs and generating real economic momentum across our region, and here in Hammond, we’re seeing it firsthand,” said Michael Noland, retiring president of the South Shore Train Line.
Besides four new train stations, the new line includes elevated train tracks to bypass freight lines in downtown Hammond. The investment in the line, Noland said, is spurring new housing and retail development.
“You’re also seeing something else: attention from developers, from employers, and yes, even from organizations like the Chicago Bears, taking a serious look at Northwest Indiana,” Noland said. “Let’s be clear, that kind of attention didn’t happen before this project was created. This project started that momentum and we’ve been building this moment for years and Hammond’s ready.”
Noland said the line will help grow Munster and Dyer, which are among the fastest growing communities in Northwest Indiana.
“This is not just about expanding commuter rail service in this section of state. This sends a signal to the private sector investors about Indiana’s willingness to invest in large, transformational infrastructure projects that offer the opportunity to strengthen our local economy and the state’s economy and greatly benefit our Hoosier quality of place and quality of life,” Noland said.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun estimates the Monon Corridor will generate some $5 billion over 20 years in new investment including 6,000 jobs. Braun wants that to include the Chicago Bears crossing the state line and calling Hammond home.
Despite being Republican, Braun has been working closely with McDermott, a Democrat.
“Sometimes the moon, the sun, the stars line up,” Braun said. “Every time I come up, there’s a vitality here [Northwest Indiana] that we have nowhere else in the state,” Braun said. “When you finally bring this to fruition, when you look at what might happen, and even if that doesn’t, there’s a point where synergy takes over and we all benefit.”
Braun used a golden ticket to board the new train line as its first passenger. He rode in the lead train with Noland and other dignitaries.
Hammond resident Charles Semko was also on the train.
“I’d rather see the money spent on infrastructure than wasting it on foreign wars,” the 72-year-old said. “I think it’s going to bring pride to the area, put Munster on the map. It’s going to be a great commute. I know a lot of people that work downtown, and they’re going to start taking it.”
Hoosier new train route? Railfans flock to NW Indiana for maiden voyage on South Shore Line’s Monon Corridor. As John Mellencamp sang, “Check it out!”
In the last few days there’s been some good news about Chicagoland rail expansion!
As we discussed yesterday, a judge’s decision recently unfroze the federal funding for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension project to extend ‘L’ service into the city’s Far South Side.
And today there were glad tidings on the other side of the “Hoosier Curtain” (the north-south demarcation that separates Illinois and Indiana). The South Shore Line commuter railroad, which has long provided service between Chicago’s Millennium Park and South Bend Airport, launched the eight-mile Monon Corridor spur. It’s a route between the Lakeshore Corridor’s existing Hammond Gateway Station and a new Munster/Dyer stop directly to the south. Along the way, the new line has stations at South Hammond (173rd St.) and Munster Ridge.
After debuting this morning, the new rail extension in the Crossroads of America is as bakery-fresh as a Hoosier Mama Pie, so much so that, as I’m typing this, the route doesn’t even appear on Google Maps. All the new stations provide wheelchair- and bike-friendly train boarding, and Dyer/Munster is only about a 10-minute pedal to heavy metal-friendly Three Floyds Brewery.
Here are some other basics to know about the Monon Corridor before we discuss today’s festivities. Some non-rush trains on this line will simply provide shuttle service between Hammond and Munster. (In case you were wondering, sorry, these cities are not where the famous jazz organ and soft cheese were invented.)
On those shuttle runs, if you want to continue from Munster/Dyer all the way to Chicago, once you get to Hammond Gateway, you have to transfer to the main Lake Shore Corridor platform, and vice versa. However, you won’t need a separate ticket to travel between the two lines
A tutorial video on how to use the new rail servicehttps://vimeo.com/1174808907?fl=pl&fe=cm
However, some weekday morning and afternoon rush hour trains *do* provide a one-seat ride between Munster/Dyer and Millennium Station in the Chicago Loop. The trip will take 45 minutes to an hour, depending on whether a run skips some stops. It’s a somewhat complex arrangement, so read this page on Monon Corridor service, including a full explanation of transfers and a FAQS section, and take a look at the new schedule, to see what I’m talking about.
Oh, and if you were wondering why the new route called the Monon Corridor and no longer the West Lake Corridor, it’s original name, here’s the story from the FAQs. “The South Shore Line decided to name it’s new extension the Monon Corridor in honor of the Monon Railroad, which historically operated on the rail corridor between Hammond and Dyer… from 1884 until 1971.” Read more, including how the modern corridor came to be, here.
All right, that’s a good start for “Monon Corridor 101,” so let’s move on to today’s ribbon cutting and inaugural run. I made basically the entire trip from SBC HQ in Chicago’s Uptown to Dyer/Munster Station via rail this morning. At the Wilson ‘L’ station, I caught the Purple Line, and then transferred to the Red Line at the Belmont stop. At Lake Station, to avoid rain, I walked through the Chicago Pedway to Millennium Station, which serves Metra Electric District trains as well as the South Shore Line. My train from Millennium to Hammond Gateway seemed to have lots of rail aficionados on it.
When I got to Hammond, a thunderstorm and tornado warning were in effect, so it wasn’t deemed safe to immediately move forward with the planned ceremony under a big tent in the parking lot. The upside of that was it gave me a chance to buttonhole two of the most important people at the event.
As president of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which runs the South Shore, Michael Noland shepherded the Monon project, as well as the Lakeshore Corridor’s recent double-tracking initiative, to the finish line. He retired from the railroad earlier this month, but served as the emcee for the ceremony.
Why did he decide to step down? “I’ve been in this industry almost 44 years, of which the last 12 have been here on the South Shore Line,” he replied. “I set off to do and accomplish the board’s strategic plan. We’re done with that plan with the opening of this West Lake Service [he used the old name], and it just feels like the right time for the next leader. And so I’m really happy to find Dave Dech [pronounced ‘Deck,’ the new president]. He’s going to take this railroad and do great things. So it’s time for a change.”
The new Monon route is a nice feather in Noland’s cap. How does he feel about that? “Sometimes I pinch myself and realize that we were given $1.5 billion dollars to invest in this railroad, and that the historic amount of investment is going to change the face of this region for decades to come,” he responded. “It was something that people thought may never happen, but this whole region came together. We were fortunate to have great leadership in the Indiana General Assembly, and at the right time we got our federal grants, and off we went to build. So I can’t wait to see what this railroad becomes in the future. It really is exciting.”
So how does Dech feel about launching this new line? “Well it’s easy for me, because I didn’t do anything,” he said with a laugh. Having previously lead transit agencies in Austin, Texas and South Florida, he only started his current job two weeks ago. “So I’m fortunate to be able to come up here and be part of this groundbreaking that the team here and Mike Noland and everybody for the last decade or so has been working really hard on, and I’m just really happy to be up here and be part of it.”
Dech said regularly rode trains and buses while he worked in the Lone Star and Sunshine states, and he plans to continue using transit here. “When [he and his wife] travel, we always use the transit,” he said. “She’s much better at it overseas than I am.”
After the lightning subsided, the large crowd gathered under the tent. Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, kicked things off by declaring, “Let’s be clear, this is a major win for Indiana.” He argued that the new rail access is a factor in the Chicago Bears considering relocatiion to The Region. “I promise you [Indiana Governor Mike Braun, one of the attendees], when you come here for the Bears announcement, there’s going to be a lot better weather.”
McDermott is a Democrat and Braun is a Republican and, in these divisive times, the event generally seemed to have a refreshingly bipartisan spirit. The politicians of various stripes who spoke seemed to all appreciate that the new rail corridor would help connect Northwest Indiana residents with education and job opportunities, and encourage more investment in the area. I didn’t notice anyone bring up the subject but, of course, fewer cars on the road, crashes, pollution, and traffic jams will be other benefits of the new rail service.
Unsurprisingly, the only mildly objectionable comments came from Connor Torossian, associate administrator for communications and congressional affairs for the Trump-controlled Federal Transit Administration. He said he was speaking on behalf of USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy, a former reality TV star, who put the Red Line Extension funding on ice by ridiculously claiming the CTA’s federally mandated DBE practices were “discriminatory.”
Torossian credited the Monon Corridor’s success to a grant from the FTA “under Trump 45’s administration, and it’s not often that we get to see investments under two different administrations but the same president, 45 to 47.” He added that a few months ago, Braun met with Duffy and himself, “and we talked about building big, beautiful projects for the state of Indiana… Let’s keep building, keep growing, and put Indiana’s workers and families first.” There was some murmuring from audience members when Torossian dropped those low-key Trumpisms.
But Torossian’s speech was the exception that proved the rule, that this was generally a “kumbaya moment.” For example, Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan talked about how his niece, the child of a single mom, got a scholarship to art school in Chicago, but has trouble affording gas to drive to and from the city, so she takes the South Shore. “This is a lifeblood to her educational opportunity to make a better life,” he said. “That’s why we’re here today. We’re here to make our city stronger, our county stronger, and those individuals: Fathers that can get back and forth. Mothers who can be there.”
Marvn also praised the cross-political party teamwork of the Monon effort when introducing the next speaker, U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. “He’s competitive, but he works in a bipartisan way every day.”
Yakym seconded that. “Yes, [Marvn and I] may not agree on some things, but we do agree that growth for the Hoosier State is a good thing, and when we find ways to work together, we certainly do.”
Gov. Braun, who grew up in downstate Jasper, has a folksy demeanor. “What a day,” he said at the end of the presentation. “Music to my ears when I hear something comes in under budget.” Audience members applauded.
Let’s switch to gallery mode for images from the first train run to Munster/Dyer Station, with a few quotes in the captions.
Check out FAQs about the Monon Line here.