Michiana officials are hopeful that South Bend Union Station will one day host Amtrak service, but they warn the process won’t be quick.
This summer, the city was awarded federal funding for planning and development work. That study took a small step forward this week, when the Michigan Area Council of Governments’ Policy Board voted to add it to the transportation improvement plan.
MACOG Executive Director James Turnwald said that’ll include figuring out what needs to happen to reopen the tunnel connecting the station building to the platform locations. “The city, through this grant, will go through a competitive selection to hire a consultant and do structural assessments of the building, understand what needs to be done to bring it back up to passenger rail service,” Turnwald explained.
He estimates the $4.8 million study may take three to five years to complete, and then funding would still have to be secured for whatever improvements are recommended.
Elkhart County Commissioner Suzie Weirick is a member of the policy board. “I appreciate the location. I appreciate the investment. I appreciate the long-play. I’m curious if this is fruitful, though, and the likelihood of it being fruitful, because this is not an inexpensive study,” Weirick said.
Turnwald argued that the fact that the city now owns the station and it appears to be well-maintained could bring momentum to the project. “While we would love to see Amtrak service there tomorrow, it is going to be a while before that happens,” Turnwald said.
Policy board members also asked about the likelihood of bringing South Shore Line service to Union Station. Turnwald said this study focuses specifically on Amtrak, but the city may be open to it in the long-term.
