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http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/ar...b2a6e6d989.html

South Shore may park 2 trains

Reduction would save railroad $350K a year

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By Keith Benman - keith.benman@nwi.com, (219) 933-3326 | Posted: Friday, May 21, 2010 7:00 pm | (5) Comments

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The South Shore commuter railroad could deduct two trains from its schedule as early as September, as the railroad continues to look for ways to cut costs.

Both of the trains, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, were added in May 2009 and were made possible when the South Shore put 14 new double-decker cars in service.

The trains to be cut would be train 114, an 8:06 a.m. train from Michigan City to Chicago, and train 211, a 4:10 p.m. train from Millennium station that terminates in Gary.

At a meeting of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board of trustees on Friday, general manager Gerald Hanas said the morning move would in effect be a consolidation of two trains so not much actual capacity would be lost.

Cutting the two trains would save the railroad about $350,000 annually, according to NICTD estimates. It also is partly a response to declining ridership, which had been on an upward slope until the recession hit in 2008.

To make up for the cut of train 114, train 14, an 8:48 a.m. train out of South Bend, would have all stops restored. Also train 11, a 3:58 p.m. departure from Millennium station, would have stops restored, and its departure time may be pushed a little later.

The NICTD board could have a proposal for making the changes come before it as early as July, but the earliest the move could be put in effect is probably September, NICTD Planning and Marketing Director John Parsons said.

The new double-decker cars would remain in service even if the NICTD board of trustees approves the cuts, Parsons said.

The new cars still are needed, both for when ridership on the railroad bounces back and to assure the railroad has enough spare cars, Parsons said.

"It's a downturn in ridership right now related to the economy," Parsons said. "There is every likelihood ridership will bounce back, and we will need that equipment."

The importance of the new cars was demonstrated this week when NICTD was forced to take its oldest cars, which make up half its fleet, into the shop for emergency repairs, Parsons said.

Those repairs of hairline cracks on the wheel trucks of the 28-year-old cars will cost the railroad about $250,000, Hanas said. However, the money will come out of a rehabilitation grant the railroad already has in hand, so it should not affect its budget.

In another move to combat falling revenue, South Shore riders will pay 2 percent higher fares on June 1. The NICTD aboard approved that increase and another in June of next year at its January meeting.

The NICTD board also received a report on new ticket machines now in use at seven South Shore stations.

In April, about 5 percent of passengers used the machines for ticket purchases and in May about 10 percent have done so, NICTD Chief Information Officer Boris Matakovic told the board. He expects that number to keep climbing.

The NICTD board also passed a resolution setting a goal of 10 percent for business awarded to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. Such firms are small businesses generally owned by women or minorities.

NICTD is willing to work individually with small businesses to walk them through the requirements of its bidding process in order to open up the field to more bidders, NICTD Chairman Mark Yagelski said.

[joe.black]

I hate to see the service go, but if the ridership is not there to justify it, the two express trains are good candidates for cuts. They can always be restored later if and when the ridership recovers.