Quote:
Originally Posted by BuildThemTaller
This Michigan City proposal is very cool. There has been so much potential for Michigan City to be NW Indiana's version of those western Michigan towns that dot the shoreline between New Buffalo and Traverse City. Rerouting the South Shore Line closer to the Lake was a smart decision. Now if they can just figure out how to close down the power plant and redevelop that, Michigan City could really take off.
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Have they decided to reroute the South Shore Line closer to the Lake?
Maybe I'm just confused, but the latest info I see is from articles in February 2022, saying "an $80 million mixed-use project that will include a rebuilt South Shore Line station at the site of the recently torn-down 11th Street Station." (with a ground breaking summer 2023, station open May 2024, and apartments open spring 2025):
https://www.wndu.com/2022/02/24/priv...-improvements/
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-revi...-city-station/
So it seems like the SSL station will remain about a mile inland. I can see why people might wish it was less than that in order to promote a more compact walkable downtown. But I might also worry if it were right up against the river that would be a pain for everyone but tourists and give those tourists less reason to ever go more than a few blocks from the water.
Regarding the NIPSCO coal plant, I'm personally hoping that the National Park can expand to include at least some of the old plant's land when it closes in 2026-2028. Although I wouldn't be opposed to some private development on the part nearest to town to create a touristy gateway area. But I expect proper environmental remediation will be expensive, and key to getting either of those done.
As a future vision for the Indiana Dunes NP: It would be awesome if you could easily get off the SSL train in Michigan City, backpack across the park's beaches and trails for a few days, and hop back on a train at the other end of the trail in Gary (or vice versa). You can do that on an even grander scale in Glacier NP via the East Glacier and West Glacier Amtrak stations, and I love the idea of mixing trains and backcountry hiking and camping for a car-free vacation.