Feds: South Shore extension unlikely anytime soon

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — A federal agency said it doesn't believe a plan to extend the South Shore commuter rail line to Valparaiso is likely to happen anytime soon, a move supporters say could slow the process. A draft environmental impact statement issued by the federal Surface Transportation Board last week found the extension plan is not "a reasonably foreseeable future action." The statement assessed the effects of Canadian National railroad's proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway. Officials with the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the South Shore line, had hoped to use the federal proceeding as leverage in their negotiations to secure right of way from Canadian National for the extension. "It would have been helpful if they had assessed it in the mix," NICTD general... [read full story]