NorthwestNorthwest IndianaIndiana’’ss SouthSouth ShoreShore LineLine

November 20th, 2006

Sponsored by an Intergovernmental Partnership of the Cities and Counties of Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

# 123200 SouthSouth ShoreShore LineLine -- DescriptionDescription

••Provides Provides commutercommuter railrail serviceservice betweenbetween thethe northwestnorthwest IndianaIndiana citiescities ofof SouthSouth Bend,Bend, MichiganMichigan City,City, Gary,Gary, Hammond,Hammond, andand othersothers toto downtowndowntown ChicagoChicago ••90 90 milesmiles totaltotal inin 22 statesstates

ƒƒ ServiceService andand ridershipridership highlyhighly orientedoriented toto downtowndowntown ChicagoChicago ••HistoryHistory

ƒƒ GenerallyGenerally regardedregarded asas thethe lastlast electricelectric interurbaninterurban railwayrailway inin ththee UnitedUnited StatesStates thoughthough greatlygreatly modernizedmodernized inin recentrecent yearsyears ƒƒ PassengerPassenger serviceservice proviprovidedded forfor overover 100100 yearsyears ƒƒ HasHas remainedremained electricallyelectrically operatedoperated usingusing overheadoverhead wireswires

Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link 2 SouthSouth ShoreShore LineLine -- OwnershipOwnership

••Privately Privately ownedowned andand operatedoperated fromfrom 19031903 toto 19901990 ••Now Now ownedowned andand operatedoperated byby thethe NorthernNorthern IndianaIndiana CommuterCommuter TransportationTransportation DistrictDistrict (NICTD)(NICTD) ••NICTD NICTD establishedestablished inin 19771977 ƒƒ ByBy anan actact ofof thethe IndianaIndiana GeneralGeneral AssemblyAssembly ƒƒ InIn responseresponse toto proposedproposed abandonabandonmentment ofof allall SouthSouth ShoreShore passengerpassenger serviceservice ƒƒ SpecificallySpecifically createdcreated toto preserve,preserve, maintain,maintain, andand improveimprove commutercommuter railrail serviceservice betweenbetween SouthSouth BendBend andand ChicagoChicago ƒƒ 1111-member-member BoardBoard ofof TrusteesTrustees ••NICTD NICTD ownsowns tracktrack andand ROWROW (from(from KensingtonKensington toto SouthSouth Bend),Bend), equipment,equipment, otherother assetsassets ƒƒ FreightFreight serviceservice providedprovided byby separateseparate privateprivate companycompany underunder contractcontract

Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link 3 SouthSouth ShoreShore LineLine RouteRoute

Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link 4 SouthSouth ShoreShore LineLine -- OperationOperation

••Operation Operation is in partnershippartnership withwith Metra,Metra, thethe ChicagoChicago areaarea commutercommuter railrail operatoroperator ƒƒ SouthSouth ShoreShore serviceservice overlapsoverlaps withwith MetraMetra becausebecause SouthSouth ShoreShore usesuses oneone of MetraMetra’s’s 1111 routesroutes toto accessaccess downtowndowntown ChicagoChicago ••Route Route CharacteristicsCharacteristics ƒƒ SouthSouth BendBend toto Chicago:Chicago: 9090 milesmiles andand 2020 stationsstations ƒƒ IndianaIndiana portion:portion: 6969 milesmiles andand 1212 stationsstations ƒƒ IllinoisIllinois portion:portion: 2121 milesmiles andand 88 stationsstations ••15 15 miles of the Illinois portiportionon useuse thethe MetraMetra ElectricElectric routeroute fromfrom KensingtonKensington toto RandolphRandolph StreetStreet inin downtowndowntown ChicagoChicago

Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link 5 SouthSouth ShoreShore LineLine –– IllinoisIllinois PortionPortion

••8 8 stationsstations andand 2121 milesmiles areare inin IllinoisIllinois ƒƒ AtAt thethe 77 IllinoisIllinois stationsstations sharedshared withwith MetraMetra (Kensington(Kensington toto downtowndowntown Chicago),Chicago), SouthSouth ShoreShore cannotcannot handlehandle locallocal passengerspassengers whosewhose entireentire rideride wouldwould bebe onon thisthis segment;segment; theythey mustmust useuse MetraMetra trainstrains ƒƒ AtAt thethe oneone IllinoisIllinois stationstation servedserved onlyonly byby SouthSouth ShoreShore trainstrains (Hegewisch)(Hegewisch) SouthSouth ShoreShore cancan handlehandle anyany passengerspassengers inin anyany directiondirection ƒƒ HegewischHegewisch isis amongamong thethe toptop fivefive busiestbusiest stationsstations onon thethe SouthSouth ShoreShore LineLine

Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link 6 NICTD/SouthNICTD/South ShoreShore -- FundingFunding

••Passenger Passenger faresfares – about 47 % of annual operating expensesexpenses ••Assistance Assistance throughthrough StateState ofof IndianaIndiana CommuterCommuter RailRail ServiceService FundFund ƒƒ UsedUsed forfor maintenance,maintenance, improvements,improvements, andand operationsoperations ƒƒ ComesComes fromfrom publicpublic massmass transittransit fundsfunds collectedcollected fromfrom statestate salessales taxtax ƒƒ DedicatedDedicated fundingfunding ••Metra Metra ƒƒ ProvidesProvides subsidysubsidy forfor IllinoisIllinois portionportion ofof serviceservice ƒƒ BasedBased onon passengerspassengers boardingboarding atat IllinoisIllinois stationsstations ––about about 2121 %% ofof netnet operatingoperating costscosts

Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link 7 SouthSouth ShoreShore LineLine –– ObservationsObservations

••Overall Overall operational character ofof SouthSouth ShoreShore serviceservice andand itsits relationshiprelationship toto whatwhat isis nownow thethe MetraMetra ElectricElectric commutercommuter routeroute is longlong-standing.-standing. When responsibilitiesresponsibilities forfor commutercommuter railrail servicesservices inin northeasternnortheastern IllinoisIllinois andand nonorthwesternrthwestern IndianaIndiana passedpassed fromfrom privateprivate toto publicpublic entities,entities, prepre-existing-existing arrangementsarrangements andand relationshipsrelationships werewere inherited.inherited. ƒƒ TypeType ofof operation,operation, service,service, andand equipmentequipment thatthat isis usedused waswas establishedestablished byby thethe originaloriginal privatelyprivately operatedoperated railroadsrailroads andand hashas essentiallyessentially beenbeen continuedcontinued ƒƒ UseUse ofof whatwhat isis nownow aa MetraMetra routeroute toto accessaccess downtowndowntown ChicagoChicago isis byby agreementagreement thatthat waswas inin placeplace longlong beforebefore thethe creationcreation ofof Metra,Metra, thethe ChicagoChicago RTA,RTA, oror NICTDNICTD

Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link 8