Officials hope for action on NW Indiana rail junction

PORTER, Ind. — Indiana transportation officials hope that federal officials will help improve a congested rail junction in northwestern Indiana now that grants aimed at creating high-speed passenger train service between Detroit and Chicago have been awarded in Illinois and Michigan.

Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission director John Swanson tells The Times of Munster that federal officials told him that once those agreements were reached it would make it easier to move ahead in Indiana.

The Federal Railroad Administration approved $71.4 million for the Indiana Gateway project almost two years ago to relieve a bottleneck with a rail junction at the town of Porter. The money is supposed to speed up Amtrak passenger and freight service through Indiana by building passing tracks, crossover tracks and signal improvements.