Michael Noland, the South Shore Line's president and general manager, plans to deliver a nearly $1 billion package Friday to a federal agency.

In it will be the preliminary plans and funding agreements for the South Shore's biggest projects in more than a century: the nine-mile West Lake extension from Hammond to the Munster/Dyer border, and 25 miles of double-tracked South Shore service between Gary and Michigan City.


It'll then be up to the Federal Transit Administration to see if those projects qualify for federal funding support. The total estimated cost is $977 million.

The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority took the final local steps on both projects Thursday, approving a resolution to issue up to $750 million in bonds to help pay for the projects.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana's governor is urging the Trump administration to include nearly $490 million in the new federal budget toward upgrading and expanding the South Shore commuter rail line that runs between northern Indiana and Chicago.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports that work on the South Shore Line includes extending the rail between Hammond and Dyer, as well as adding a second line between Gary and Michigan City.

Gov. Eric Holcomb wrote a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao saying the projects will reduce commute times to Chicago and help bring more residents and businesses to the area.

The projects will need to receive at least a medium rating from the federal government to qualify for Federal Transit Administration support. Ratings are expected to be released in February.

INDIANAPOLIS — U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., plans to speak today with President Donald Trump about federal funding for South Shore Line expansion projects as they fly to Indiana aboard Air Force One.

In an interview on Indianapolis' WISH-TV, Young said this morning that improving the nation's infrastructure, particularly in Indiana, is a top priority for him, and he will use his time with the president and Trump's advisers to emphasize how the federal government can help.

"There are some significant investments that need to be made in rail and our roads and so forth," Young said.

"Though we've done a really good job at the state and local level, there are certain federal roles for our interstate highway system, for improving a rail line we have up in Northwestern Indiana, and I think I'm going to have an opportunity to bend the president's ear on whether we can get those much needed investments in coming months."

Young is traveling with Trump from Washington, D.C., to attend the unveiling of the president's tax reform proposal during a speech this afternoon at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, operator of the South Shore Line, is in the process of seeking funding in the next federal budget to expand capacity and speed transit times on the commuter rail line linking Northwest Indiana to Chicago.