Efforts to expand passenger rail in Indiana continue to get a boost. The Indiana Department of Transportation says it's getting up to $500,000 to study the Chicago-to-Indianapolis corridor. That money is coming from the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Program.
Specifically, it'll help with preliminary work in preparation for a service development plan. That would look into needed track improvements, operating costs, ridership statistics and how much state support would be needed. Currently, there are only three trains a week in each direction between Chicago and Indianapolis, with local stops in Dyer and Rensselaer, as part of Amtrak's Cardinal route.
Other Indiana routes to get Corridor ID funding include the "Midwest Connect Corridor" through Chicago, Fort Wayne, Columbus and Pittsburgh and the Louisville-to-Indianapolis corridor. Amtrak has also gotten funding to study daily service on the entire Cardinal route from Chicago to New York.