South Shore plan gaining steam

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BY KRYSTIN E. KASAK
Krystin.Kasak@nwitimes.com
219.548.4353 | Sunday, January 13, 2008 | (7 comment(s))

VALPARAISO | Porter County Commissioner Bob Harper said the recent funding proposal for the South Shore train expansion sounds good -- if officials can pull it off.

The commissioner, who has been a strong opponent of the commuter train expansion, praised state legislators for exploring a "no-new-taxes" proposal but expressed concern about certain details that have yet to be worked out.

"I congratulate the state representatives and (state Rep. Chet) Dobis for recognizing that the taxpayers of Northwest Indiana absolutely do not need another tax," Harper said. "It's to their credit that they recognize that."

One of Harper's biggest concerns dealt with the plan's inclusion of $150 million in funding from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.

Currently, the RDA receives $17.5 million annually from Lake and Porter counties from various casino money and a local income tax in Porter. The state provides a $10 million subsidy for the board each year, which brings the total funding to $27.5 million. The hefty $150 million investment that the project calls for would be equivalent to more than five years of the RDA's total budget.

Since no formal request or commitment of the funds has been made, Harper questioned how the RDA would be able to fund the project.

"No one has talked about that yet," Harper said. "Are they going to be able to do that without asking for another tax and still completing some of its other projects?"

Harper's concern was echoed by state Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, at a meeting Thursday. Rogers said she worries that committing the RDA to the financing plan could sap funding from other projects, including upgrades to the Gary/Chicago International Airport and the establishment of a regional bus system.

"I want to make certain that those projects will not be negatively impacted," Rogers said.

Tim Sanders, executive director for the RDA, said although no decisions have been made regarding the funds or where they would come from, one option would be to sell various bonds.

"This is going to take some assistance (from the state) or we're going to have to sell bonds for a long time and dedicate a lot of our revenue to this one project," Sanders said.

Sanders also said the board might seek advice from financial consultants.

The other concern raised by Harper was the additional operating costs that would be needed to run the expanded South Shore each year.

"No one talks about that," Harper said. "It's not just the cost of building it, it's the subsidy of keeping it going."

According to Harper, a report from the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District showed an additional $20 million in state subsidies would be required to keep the train running. State lawmakers have yet to discuss the possibility of increased state funds.

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nwprogress wrote on Jan 18, 2008 3:55 PM:

" I fully support extension of the SS, I would see my family sooner and cut close to an hour off my daily commute just driving back and forth to the train station not counting any potential train time savings. It would definitely make Valpo and other towns further South even more desirable places to live with easier access to the train. This would push more developement, more people riding the train, increased home values and there is always the trickle down to everyone else. With an increased ridership, the southshore would have an increased income level even though some riders may just be switching stations.

Buses do eliminate more cars but the reason I ride the south shore is so I do not have to wait in the same traffic a bus will still have to navigate. It would take roughly 100 bus trips to move the 7500 people each way That isnt exactly environmentally friendly or lessen to much congestion. Buses are flexible but not quite "Just-As-Good"
"

izzie wrote on Jan 15, 2008 11:29 AM:

" Hey Rust City - Have you ever heard of global warming and the effect of fossil fuel use on the environment??? Step out of the way of progressfor a comuter railway that would serve to open up the communities of NW Indiana as well as provide jobs. Who wants to ride a bus???? "

rustcity wrote on Jan 14, 2008 6:42 PM:

" To Christine: Please do a Google search and investigate what a Bus Rapid Transit system is. Many of these systems put the SS to shame in terms of rider satisfaction. Look in particular for evaluation studies by the DOT and GAO... But all the studies in the world won't answer the question of why non-riders should pay the massive capital and operating studies for those making supposedly high income working in Chicago...And by the way, a non-subsidized one-way ticket would go for an estimated $21. Now, how many SS Extension riders would be willing to pay their fair share? "

Christine wrote on Jan 14, 2008 2:10 PM:

" Rustcity, why would you think people would ride a bus through all the traffic? You would get a tremendous boost on ridership if it was a train. The train doesn't take the same road as the bus would. All the people who currently drive up to the train wouldn't have to and that would relieve all the congestion that falls on the corridor which runs from 394 to 30 & Ridge t& 80-94. "

in the know wrote on Jan 13, 2008 10:17 PM:

" Bob - DO NOT let them build this huge dirt mound on the Illinois side at a price tag of hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars more than needs to be spent. Again route the line down the old Pennsey line and serve the same people with Millions of savings. "

rustcity wrote on Jan 13, 2008 2:05 PM:

" This is a ripoff of all taxpayers to subsidize a platry 7500 riders to the tune of $133,000 capital subsidy and $3,000 or $4,000 operating subsidy per year. And if our tax-and-spend politicians insist on a mass transit system for our low-density populace, look at the just-as-good and more flexible but less costly alternatives such as a rapid bus transit system...Taxpayers should insist on an outside appraisal of the proposed South Shore extensions by the independent GAO. "

portageunionguy wrote on Jan 13, 2008 1:53 PM:

" As a member of the construction industry I never understood why Bob Harper and his cronies want to stop progress. My job and the jobs of all my close friends are in construction. We will be the beneficiaries of this growth. Why does he want to stop everything? "

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