Michael Noland, president of the South Shore Line and Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, promised he would leave his post on a high note. And he does just that in his final letter before officially retiring on March 15.
He announced that passenger service will begin on the new Monon Corridor at 11:45 a.m. March 31. Trains will run from the Gateway Station in north Hammond and stop at stations on 173rd Street in Hammond, Ridge Road in Munster and at the Munster-Dyer border.
Work on the 8-mile extension began in earnest in fall 2020. But planning began long before.
Nolan wrote in his letter that he was hired in 2014 to do two things: lead the 26-mile double-track project and the West Lake Corridor extension, now the Monon Corridor.
“Though the timeline for the plan was 20 years, it needed, in my opinion, to be done in 20 minutes,” Noland wrote. “The plan was bold, it was exciting, and it made perfect sense.”
The Double Track Northwest Indiana project was completed May 14, 2024. It cost $600 million. The Monon extension is projected at $852 million.
But it's too soon to talk about Nolan's legacy. Several projects are underway, including a $200 million project to enhance the terminal in Chicago and a $112 million station relocation at the South Bend International Airport.
Noland also expressed excitement for the future of the South Shore Line, including his replacement, Dave Dech. He is the former CEO of Tri-Rail in Florida and was unanimously elected by the board.
Come Monday, Dech will become the third president in the district's 50-year history. Noland, on the other hand, will join his wife, Carrie, in retirement. But, he said, he will always cheer loudly for the railroad's success.
