Examining what’s to come from IndyGo and South Shore DT

In a sprawling metropolis, mass transit is a hot topic of conversation. In recent years, Indianapolis has invested more than ever in bike share programs, IndyGo’s bus rapid transit, and other unique transportation initiatives. This advent isn’t Indy-specific, either; connectivity to the rest of Indiana along with other Midwestern hubs creates many opportunities for all Hoosiers. We explore Indiana’s growing relationship with public transportation through two examples: IndyGo and the South Shore Line, backed by interviews with industry experts.

IndyGo

Jennifer Pyrz is no stranger to the world of transportation. With more than 25 years of relevant experience and almost 10 years of service to IndyGo, Pyrz has long shown a passion for public transit. She now uses that experience to benefit IndyGo as its new president and CEO.

As we were headed to press with this issue, we were learning that ridership; traffic congestion; finances; safety; and transitioning bus fleets to cleaner fuels were the top concerns for transit agency leaders in a survey released Thursday by Keolis, the contract operator for 12 U.S. transit agencies and five in Canada.

Pyrz’s vision for IndyGo’s future focuses upon three main priorities that align with those national concerns.

The first is growing and restoring ridership, affected by the pandemic and the growing remote workforce. “More people are working remotely or at least are doing that part-time. We’re probably never going to go back to [a traditional commuting schedule],” she tells your favorite transportation newsletter. “While the person who comes to Indy once, twice a year and takes transit is fabulous … we really need that foundation of the worker.”

While Pyrz seeks to accommodate the needs of modern passengers, IndyGo is not in dire straits: Ridership numbers rose from 5.6 million in 2022 to 6.7 million in 2023. For Pyrz, it’s about sustaining that momentum through outreach and partnerships.

One such collaboration was with the Indiana Pacers to provide transportation to visitors during the 2024 NBA All-Star weekend February 15 – 18. This effort reached tourists and natives alike – the All-Star events generated a record-breaking $400 million in economic growth for Indianapolis, as well as high praise for its amenities, including the public transportation options.

Pyrz’s second objective is long-term sustainability once IndyGo is out of “build mode.” The Red Line is operational, the Purple Line is estimated to open in late 2024, and the design for the Blue Line is nearly 90% complete. After the Blue Line’s construction, that concludes IndyGo’s 2027 Future Service Plan. Before then, Pyrz wants to get serious about aligning expenses and revenues with long-term goals past 2027.

The third goal is increasing safety across the board. IndyGo has contended with a bus operator shortage for a while now. They have a $3,000 sign-on bonus program for new hires, but Pyrz is also concerned with “keeping [IndyGo’s] operators safe in a world that’s different than it was three, four years ago.” She mentions the safety of frontline workers and riders as well, with the bus arson incident at 38th Street and Meridian Street.

What’s the solution? Pyrz seeks to foster stronger relationships with the Indiana Metropolitan Police Department, the Indiana Fire Department, and emergency services and then get access to those services into the hands of riders.

In short, Pyrz’s vision for IndyGo is to make its bus rapid transit service synonymous with reliability.

“That’s the thing with cars, right? If we can provide a service that gets you where you want to go, when you want to go there, and you can rely on it to show up [on-time], you’re much more likely to use it,” she suggests. “If we can get reliable, we think we can grow the ridership significantly.” Pyrz also wants to combat the stigma associated with buses: “they just aren’t sexy … it’s ingrained in our culture.”

Part of that effort is bolstering services that don’t just increase efficiency or focus on numbers, but register on “a different, more human level.” IndyGo Director of Communications Carrie Black tells us about the Food in Transit program, a partnership “seven years in the making” between the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development and the Office of Public Health and Safety that provides a community grant of $15,000 to increase community access to food. Fresh and healthy produce, along with staple ingredients, are given out to riders at the Julia M. Carson Transit Center during peak hours. Participants can also look forward to cooking demonstrations, recipe cards, and other free items.

As for the immediate future, Pyrz plans programming for IndyGo’s 50th anniversary in 2025. She’s also excited for riders to experience the debut of the Purple Line, calling it a “tremendous transformation.”

South Shore Double Track

“One hundred years later, Double Track will continue to transform Northern Indiana for generations to come,” Governor Eric Holcomb (R), who is perhaps the most prolific of Double Track’s numerous champions, proclaims during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for South Shore’s Double Track project.

As we explained in our last issue, Double Track went from the-little-infrastructure-project-that-could to an endeavor with immense public, private, state, and legislative support at the federal, state, regional, and local levels.

A quick recap of recent events: Optimistic projections were brought down to earth by extended delays as employees and passengers alike were confused by significant schedule shifts and shortened platforms upon the Double Track debut. Other hurdles include a track that will need to be removed from commission for six weeks later this summer, and downtown Chicago adding a fourth track to South Shore’s Metra Electric line. A Chicago-bound South Shore train also collided with a dump truck stuck on the tracks in Gary, resulting in three hospitalizations and additional delays. Most recently you may have heard of the spat of power outages caused by recent Midwest storms. Monroe County, for example, reported over 95,000 outages, many lasting for days.

Those ripple effects have reached your favorite railroad expansion, adding to a series of recent mishaps and delays. Trains in East Chicago, Gary, and Chesterton stalled due to substation outages, while a train on a route between Carroll Avenue and South Bend Airport had to cease operations due to wire damage and downed trees. In the South Bend train’s case, buses were sent out to transport train riders (the substation outages were resolved within hours).

We promised an update once we had more information on Double Track and South Shore, so we caught up with Northern Indiana Transportation District President Mike Noland, RDA President Sherri Ziller, and Indiana Finance Authority officials to get the scoop.

Noland is not shy about admitting to Double Track’s chaotic rollout. “I always knew [the new schedule] was aggressive,” he acknowledges to us.

He cites “zero recovery time” as the biggest concern among riders and employees – all 53 of South Shore’s trains had schedule alterations and the new system was designed for maximum efficiency. In response, Noland just finished up a draft for an internal schedule overhaul. “The days of fixed schedules are gone. Many riders have hybrid and flexible [work] schedules now,” Noland observes. He also created a riders’ survey for passengers to air concerns – it attracted more than 2,000 responses. Noland predicts many tweaks in the days, weeks, and months to come as he sorts through those comments.

Noland isolates three main priorities: increasing reliability, listening to individual riders’ concerns, and syncing up with Metra’s dispatch schedule. Other efforts include offering a July BOGO ticket special, revisiting pricing structures, offering additional trains for major events in Chicago, providing riders with biweekly updates, and an immediate written apology from Noland to South Shore riders.

Mike Noland’s flexibility and strong faith in Double Track is infectious – he paints an image of the Midwest becoming a commuter’s utopia with ease. Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority President Sherri Ziller, an early backer of Double Track, expresses similar optimism: “From all I have seen, Mike Noland has been very open and communicative with riders about the ‘growing pains’ they are having,” she notes. “I’m sure they have learned things from this that will be applied once we get closer to opening West Lake.”

Once Double Track is cleaned up, Noland cites gains for Chicago and Indiana economies well beyond original projections. He also brings up the West Lake Corridor project, a southern branch expansion of South Shore to be completed in May 2025. Once that route is in operation, the West Lake extension will create further connectivity between Chicago and northern Indiana, affording Hoosiers access to more (and, per Noland, “better paying”) jobs. According to Ziller, the West Lake Corridor and Double Track projects will generate $2.7 billion in development over the next 20 years. Right now, Northwest Indiana’s RDA is working on more than $500 million worth of projects in Munster, Hammond, and Michigan City. Those projects are predicted to bring in 11,000 new Hoosiers.

“[New Hoosiers] increase the state and local tax revenues to keep the roads paved, pay for your local police and fire departments, and for all of the other government services we expect.,” Ziller adds. The ripple effects are considerable.

As we mentioned in our last issue, many commuter projects like Double Track are never funded. The federal government is rarely willing to dole out full funding, especially for experimental improvements, necessitating state governments with tight budgets to fund large portions. In Double Track’s case, the federal government’s willingness to contribute decreased – an original promise of a 50/50 split between federal and state funding dwindled to a pledged 36% federal share.

Indiana Finance Authority officials shared with us a breakdown of the piecemeal funding needed to get Double Track off the ground. A combined amount of $342 million of State funds and American Rescue Plan Act funds flowed from the State of Indiana. The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority contributed $36.5 million: $9.1 million in cash and $27.3 million from a federal Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Fund Loan. St. Joseph County and the City of South Bend kicked in $18.25 million, with the City of LaPorte adding another $18.25 million. The Federal Transit Administration joined the funding potpourri as well, contributing $197.5 million. Finally, additional local contributions amounted to $3.2 million, adding up to a grand total of $646 million.

Double Track is one of the largest public transit initiatives in Indiana’s history, and its financial backing may signal a turning point for commuter rail.

Ziller agrees, citing the West Lake South Shore extension (which will extend from the Gateway Station in Hammond to the Munster/Dyer border). Ziller mentions that extending the line even further – either down to Lowell or a Valparaiso extension – is on the table, but “we want to get the existing projects completed and running smoothly before we start thinking about plans for further expansion,” he explains.

NICTD is utilizing a similar collaborative contribution approach to fund West Lake South Shore, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach to funding. IFA officials caution that “each commuter rail project is different, and those differences must be considered on a project-by-project basis.”

When asked which areas in Indiana need increased access to commuter rail the most, Ziller mentions some “interesting possibilities” in LaPorte County and St. Joe County. The growing number of automotive facilities and data centers in that area creates potential opportunities for South Shore expansion.