Commuting patterns may never go back to what they were pre-pandemic, but Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) President Mike Noland remains optimistic for the South Shore's future.
"It's not likely we're going to return to the 8-to-5, Monday-through-Friday template. . . . Likely, hybrid is here to stay," Noland told the NICTD board last week.
The South Shore Line's ridership is approaching 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels, although off-peak ridership is closer to 60 percent. Noland said that's similar to what commuter railroads across the country are seeing.
But he said traffic congestion on Chicago's expressways proves that people are still going into the city. "So that tells me there's low hanging fruit that's still out there, meaning with our enhanced service model, we have the opportunity to turn these numbers around," Noland said.
He noted that projects like Double Track and the West Lake Corridor should bring increased service, shorter travel times and better on-time performance.