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 ServiceService andand ridershipridership highlyhighly orientedoriented toto downtowndowntown ChicagoChicago ••HistoryHistory GenerallyGenerally regardedregarded asas thethe lastlast electricelectric interurbaninterurban railwayrailway inin ththee UnitedUnited StatesStates thoughthough greatlygreatly modernizedmodernized inin recentrecent yearsyears PassengerPassenger serviceservice proviprovidedded forfor overover 100100 yearsyears 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 ByBy anan actact ofof thethe IndianaIndiana GeneralGeneral AssemblyAssembly InIn responseresponse toto proposedproposed abandonabandonmentment ofof allall SouthSouth ShoreShore passengerpassenger serviceservice SpecificallySpecifically createdcreated toto preserve,preserve, maintain,maintain, andand improveimprove commutercommuter railrail serviceservice betweenbetween SouthSouth BendBend andand ChicagoChicago 1111-member-member BoardBoard ofof TrusteesTrustees ••NICTD NICTD ownsowns tracktrack andand ROWROW (from(from KensingtonKensington toto SouthSouth Bend),Bend), equipment,equipment, otherother assetsassets 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 SouthSouth ShoreShore serviceservice overlapsoverlaps withwith MetraMetra becausebecause SouthSouth ShoreShore usesuses oneone of MetraMetra’s’s 1111 routesroutes toto accessaccess downtowndowntown ChicagoChicago ••Route Route CharacteristicsCharacteristics SouthSouth BendBend toto Chicago:Chicago: 9090 milesmiles andand 2020 stationsstations IndianaIndiana portion:portion: 6969 milesmiles andand 1212 stationsstations 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 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 AtAt thethe oneone IllinoisIllinois stationstation servedserved onlyonly byby SouthSouth ShoreShore trainstrains (Hegewisch)(Hegewisch) SouthSouth ShoreShore cancan handlehandle anyany passengerspassengers inin anyany directiondirection 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 UsedUsed forfor maintenance,maintenance, improvements,improvements, andand operationsoperations ComesComes fromfrom publicpublic massmass transittransit fundsfunds collectedcollected fromfrom statestate salessales taxtax DedicatedDedicated fundingfunding ••Metra Metra ProvidesProvides subsidysubsidy forfor IllinoisIllinois portionportion ofof serviceservice 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. TypeType ofof operation,operation, service,service, andand equipmentequipment thatthat isis usedused waswas establishedestablished byby thethe originaloriginal privatelyprivately operatedoperated railroadsrailroads andand hashas essentiallyessentially beenbeen continuedcontinued 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.