[Southsider2k12]

http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20...911309924/0/XML

Economy stalls northwest Indiana's plans for intermodal rail center
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — The recession is among the reasons northwestern Indiana officials believe the push has stalled to land a major truck-and-rail center that could employ thousands of people.

Officials across the area backed an effort that started four years ago to attract facilities for the transfer of freight between trains and trucks, taking advantage of the region's numerous rail lines into the Chicago area.

The recession, however, has reduced rail traffic and some of the urgency among railroads to speed up freight transfers, said Don Koliboski, economic development director at the Northwest Indiana Forum, a private economic development group.

Koliboski said that warehouse construction near rail lines in Illinois also has meant more competition.

"When you look at what was supposed to transpire and what is actually going on, there is a big difference," he told The Times of Munster.

Several sites in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties were identified as having the required rail lines and highway access for freight centers. They ranged from an existing rail yard in Hammond to the Port Of Indiana at Burns Harbor and a rural area near the LaPorte County town of Union Mills, where a developer bought options on 3,000 acres where three rail lines converge.

The push for the rail centers followed a study by Purdue University Calumet economics professor Amlan Mitra that the regional capitalize on its transportation assets, with the industry already employing more than 39,000 people. Not enough has been done since then, he said.

"Once we get together, we don't follow up on anything," Mitra said. "People are not taking responsibility."

CenterPoint Properties Group has spent millions of dollars to buy land for a rail center just across the state line in Crete, Ill., where Union Pacific and CSX have primary rail lines.

"With the economy doing what it has done, it has been a slower go than we would like, but we are in it for the long haul," said Eric Gilbert, a senior vice president for Oakbrook, Ill.-based CenterPoint.

[MCRogers1974]

Seems to me the people in La Porte and the people in the southern end of the county violently opposed the freight yard and the thousands of jobs it would have created.

This is similar to 1995 when the people of La Porte and the people of the southern end of the county opposed the creation of a casino in Michigan City. Now those same people, who opposed economic development, come to Blue Chip looking for jobs and the City of La Porte has its hand out looking for riverboat gaming tax money.

This is just another example of senseless opposition to progress.

[mime257]

Seems to me the people in La Porte and the people in the southern end of the county violently opposed the freight yard and the thousands of jobs it would have created.

This is similar to 1995 when the people of La Porte and the people of the southern end of the county opposed the creation of a casino in Michigan City. Now those same people, who opposed economic development, come to Blue Chip looking for jobs and the City of La Porte has its hand out looking for riverboat gaming tax money.

This is just another example of senseless opposition to progress.

I don't know if its so much the people in the city of La Porte so much as the people south of the city and the people in the southern end of the county who violently opposed the freight yard.

I know a number of people in the city of La Porte who wanted the intermodel.

[Southsider2k12]

I don't know if its so much the people in the city of La Porte so much as the people south of the city and the people in the southern end of the county who violently opposed the freight yard.

I know a number of people in the city of La Porte who wanted the intermodel.

The irony is that the leaders of the anti-Intermodal group were a couple of artists who lived in the middle of no-where.

[kharris]

Seems to me the people in La Porte and the people in the southern end of the county violently opposed the freight yard and the thousands of jobs it would have created.

This is similar to 1995 when the people of La Porte and the people of the southern end of the county opposed the creation of a casino in Michigan City. Now those same people, who opposed economic development, come to Blue Chip looking for jobs and the City of La Porte has its hand out looking for riverboat gaming tax money.

This is just another example of senseless opposition to progress.

I don't know that there was any "violent" opposition to the proposed intermodal. There was indeed oppostion but don't forget that the developer did purchase options on 3000 acres of land. Apparently there wasn't complete opposition or those options wouldn't have been available.

There is a smaller version of that project going into the KOP, which could grow considerably in size and jobs over time. And information provided to me says the original intermodal project is not completely dead at this point in time.