# West Lake Corridor

The West Lake Corridor project, to be called the Monon Corridor upon opening, is an under-construction commuter rail line in Lake County, Indiana. New South Shore Line services are planned to connect the towns of Munster and Dyer in Indiana with Hammond, Indiana, and Chicago in Illinois. The new branch leaves the South Shore Line's main line at Hammond Gateway station, proceeding as a single-track route to Dyer. Trains will run directly to Chicago during peak hours, and shuttle trains between Hammond and Dyer will run during off-peak hours.
The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) began planning an extension of the South Shore Line to Valparaiso, Indiana, in 2006 due to population growth in Northwest Indiana. Plans were canceled in 2008 due to lower-than-expected ridership projections. The Indiana General Assembly approved funding for the branch in 2015, and the Federal Transit Administration awarded a grant to the line in 2019. Work started in October 2020, and the branch is expected to open in 2025.

## History
### New Start Studies

In the mid-2000s, the population and commercial growth in Lake and Porter counties in Northwest Indiana was outstripping projections. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District determined that if the growth continued, it would be necessary to add another branch to the South Shore Line commuter rail. In 2006, planning proceeded for an extension to Valparaiso, Indiana, but the NICTD was unable to confidently attain trackage rights on the Canadian National Railway line to Valparaiso. By 2008 a new study indicated that the Valparaiso to Munster branch would not generate sufficient ridership and was dropped from the plan.
The Indiana General Assembly approved funding in 2015 for the construction of a South Shore Line branch to Dyer. The Lake County government and 15 of the county's towns agreed to provide funding for the branch. In 2017, the NICTD began demolition of houses between Hanover and Brunswick streets to begin building a new station, where trains would interchange with the main line. The same year, the NICTD modified its plans for the West Lake Corridor, adding a maintenance barn to the proposed Hammond Gateway station and relocating the proposed Munster Ridge Road station.

### Capital Investment Grant Program

In March 2019, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave the project a favorable rating meaning the project could qualify for funding from the Capital Investment Grant Program. NICTD anticipated to be awarded funding the following spring with construction beginning later in the year. That October, the FTA approved the project moving it into its engineering phase. The project was to cost $945 million, including $335 million from local sources, $255 million in state funds, and $355 million in federal funds.

### Construction

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 28, 2020, which included the signing of a full funding grant between the FTA and NICTD. By November 2024, ninety percent of the work had been finished. NICTD's president Mike Noland said the West Lake Corridor could open as early as May 2025, as long as an underpass near the Dyer station was completed on schedule. The underpass's construction had been delayed due to the lack of approval from CSX Transportation, which owned the right-of-way near that station, and the underpass was not planned to be completed until September 2025.

## Alignment

Traveling southbound, the new branch leaves the existing main line immediately before Hammond Gateway station. From Hammond south, the line follows the route of Monon Trail until it reaches Maynard Junction. The Monon Trail will be retained, but follow a new alignment. At Maynard Junction, the Corridor will have a flyover over the EJ&E/CSX tracks, and then will follow new tracks built immediately west of the CSX right-of-way.
The line, extending to the town of Dyer, will run about 8 miles (13 km). Due to financial constraints, the initial segment will not extend to St. John or Lowell, but provisions will be made for future extension. NICTD has also proposed extending the line further south to serve Lowell, St. John, and Cedar Lake, but as of 2024 there are no specific plans to carry out this extension.
The line will contain four stations in addition to a maintenance facility in Hammond. NICTD is not constructing a station serving Hammond's downtown area. However, as part of its plans to revitalize its downtown, the city of Hammond plans to construct a downtown station itself at Russell Street, along a section of elevated track. While preparatory work is to be done coinciding with the construction of the West Lake Corridor, full construction on the station is not planned to begin until 2025, making the station an infill station to be built after the initial opening of the West Lake Corridor.

## Station listing

| Location | Station | Connections and notes |
| Hammond | Hammond Gateway | South Shore Line (main line) Main line platform opened on October 18, 2024; Monon platform slated to open in 2025 |
| Hammond | Downtown Hammond | Future infill station after the rest of the stations open in 2025 |
| Hammond | South Hammond | |
| Munster | Munster Ridge Road | |
| Munster–Dyer line | Munster/Dyer Main Street | Amtrak: Cardinal (at Dyer) |

## Service patterns

The new line will directly serve Millennium Station in Chicago at peak hours, with five trips to or from Millennium Station during these times. A two-car shuttle service will operate between Munster/Dyer Main Street and Hammond Gateway for connections to main line services at other times.