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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky today announced that he has delivered important help for the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) to continue execution of its South Shore Line capital reinvestment plan. The work on improvements to the commuter rail line, which include new traffic control and power distribution systems, will create jobs and increase operational flexibility, reliability, and capacity to meet increases in demand.
“The South Shore Line is an important economic resource for Northwest Indiana, linking local residents to good-paying jobs in Chicago and generating commerce in the region,” said Visclosky. “I am proud to support NICTD’s capital reinvestment efforts, which will create some much-needed jobs in the near future while improving South Shore Line service for the riders of tomorrow. The net impact on Northwest Indiana will be more jobs and economic opportunities.”
NICTD General Manager Gerald Hanas stated, “We want to thank Congressman Visclosky for his keen insight in supporting continued investment in Northwest Indiana's commuter rail infrastructure. This is a sound investment now and will also foster mobility for future generations.”
Visclosky’s support will help NICTD execute its South Shore Line Capital Reinvestment Plan. NICTD operates more than 12,800 trains annually, carrying more than 4.2 million passengers to high-paying Chicago jobs, and riders return in excess of $225 million in salaries and wages to Northwest Indiana’s economy. To maintain this service, the old signal and power distribution systems must be replaced. NICTD will utilize a $4,950,000 grant that Visclosky secured in the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act to design and build new centralized traffic control and power distribution systems that will increase operational flexibility and reliability, and enlarge capacity to meet increases in demand. The funding is now available from the U.S. Department of Transportation. |
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