East Chicago station explained

Style:

NICTD

East Chicago

Coordinates:

41.6119°N -87.4794°W

Other:

East Chicago Bus Transit and Gary Public Transportation Corporation Buses

Tracks:

Parking:

1,200 spaces

Passengers:

1,493 (average weekday)^[1]

Pass Year:

2019

Opened:

1956

Rebuilt:

1982, 2004

Accessible:

Yes

Owned:

NICTD

Zone:

Other Services2 Collapsible:

yes

Other Services2 Header:

Future services

Map State:

collapsed

Mapframe:

yes

Mapframe-Custom:

Shape:	none
Line:	none
Marker:	rail
Marker-Color:	891b0f
Zoom:	15

East Chicago is a train station at 5615 Indianapolis Boulevard in East Chicago, Indiana. It serves the South Shore Line commuter rail line from Chicago, Illinois to South Bend, Indiana.

History

The station was built in 1956 as part of a South Shore Line project that removed a street running section on Chicago Avenue and placed the line on an elevated roadbed parallel to the Indiana Toll Road in order to improve speed and mitigate traffic issues. Prior to that, South Shore Line trains stopped in downtown East Chicago. In 2004 the station was remodeled with high level platforms to assist passengers with disabilities, and to decrease station dwell times.^[2]

Facilities

East Chicago consists of a single high-level island platform situated between two gauntlet tracks which permit the passage of freight trains. The northern track provides service to Chicago while the southern track services Michigan City and South Bend. At this location the South Shore Line is situated on an embankment and the platform traverses Indianapolis Boulevard. The station building is located east of Indianapolis Boulevard at ground level.^[3] The station is equipped with ticket vending machines; staffed service ended in 2017.^[4] Adjacent to the station is a parking lot with capacity for 1,200 cars.

NICTD approved a $4.4 million construction project in March 2019 to increase passenger access at East Chicago.^[5]

Bus connections

East Chicago Transit

Route 1
Route 2
Route 4

GPTC

Route R1: Lakeshore Connection

External links

- South Shore Line - Stations

Notes and References

Web site: 2020 State of the System Report. SSL-4. November 2020. Metra.
Book: Longest . David E. . Railroad Depots of Northern Indiana . 2007 . Arcadia Publishing . 9780738541310 . 108.
Web site: South Shore Stations, Locations, Address, Directions. Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. October 27, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151031210206/http://www.nictd.com/riding-the-train/maps-stations/station-locations. October 31, 2015.
News: South Shore's East Chicago ticket office closing as electronic sales rise . Steele . Andrew . February 27, 2017 . . April 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170302195630/http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/south-shore-s-east-chicago-ticket-office-closing-as-electronic/article_2ca02b6c-7e91-5a7e-b668-eb321ca300df.html . March 2, 2017 . dead .
News: NICTD: $4.4M East Chicago train platform project to begin. Zorn. Tim. Chicago Tribune. March 25, 2019. March 25, 2019.