South Shore riders complain of late, packed trains; railroad considering 10% fare increase

Chicago Tribune

08-05-2025

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District got an earful from a handful of riders Tuesday night at the last public hearing on a proposed 10% fare increase for South Shore Line passengers.
The fare increase would be the first since 2018, the riders were told in the meeting at Hammond Public Library.
Riders complained about packed trains and late trains, among other issues.
'On top of doing away with the BOGO, you're increasing the fare,' one rider said.
The buy one month, get one free promotion was begun as a way to boost ridership when the COVID-19 pandemic caused ridership to tank, Director of Strategic Planning and Grants Kelly Wenger said.
One of the riders said she boards the train at Hammond and disembarks at 57th Street in Chicago. 'I'm barely on the train 20 minutes,' she said, but the new fare would be $203 a month. 'That's a lot of money just to go from Hammond to 57th Street,' she said.
Even with parking, a monthly ticket from Metra would be cheaper, she said.
Allen Hammond, NICTD's grant developer and administrator specialist, said Metra owns the stations the South Shore uses in Illinois and determines the fares on that side of the state line.
'You have a monthly fare, but in all reality, you also have specialized fares' with Metra, Hammond said. Metra riders can buy a ticket for an entire day, and it's a flat fee. 'That one fare basically pays it all.'
The South Shore has fares for one way, 10 or 25 rides, or monthly. Reduced-price fares are available for senior citizens, active duty military, children under 13, and riders with disabilities. In addition, up to three children 13 and under can ride free when accompanied by a parent on weekend, holiday and off-peak weekday trains.
For a rider boarding at Portage/Ogden Dunes or Dune Park, the one-way fare to Millennium Park would rise to $10 each way, a $1 increase, with the reduced rate at $5, a 50-cent increase. A monthly ticket would be $277.
Hammond noted that unlike the South Shore, which hasn't raised fares in seven years, Metra does so every year. That's why the 10% fare increase seems so high, he said.
NICTD General Manager and President Michael Noland has told the railroad's board that fares should be raised more frequently, at smaller increments, to keep up with increased operating costs.
'Basically, the fare increase is strictly for operations,' Hammond told the riders Thursday. 'We have salaries and stuff of that nature that has to be paid.' Recent and ongoing construction projects aren't a factor, he said.
The railroad, state and federal government have been pouring money into capital improvements, starting with adding a second track between Gary and Michigan City to speed trains and add capacity. The Monon Corridor expansion is set to begin operating from Dyer to Chicago later this year. A third major construction project, at about $250 million, will add a fourth track to ease the bottleneck on Metra's system. NICTD will gain a dedicated platform at the 57th Street station for South Shore passengers as part of that project.
One rider who boards at East Chicago said her train is late every day. Wenger said the railroad's on-time performance has improved dramatically.
Another rider complained of crowded trains. 'Coming home in the evening, when I get on at 57th Street, we're packed in like sardines,' she said. 'Sometimes I've gotten on the train in the evening, and it's two cars, and we're all packed in there.'
Hammond promised to pass those observations along to the railroad folks who determine how rail cars are deployed to make sure they're aware of that situation.
Wenger said the railroad has received roughly the same number of in-person comments as 2018 when the last fare increase was approved. There are more emails now, but that could be attributed to the South Shore offering more virtual options to riders since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she said.
At NICTD meetings earlier this year, Noland said the railroad's rainy day fund had run dry. The Indiana General Assembly agreed to give the railroad $40 million over the next two years to help keep the trains running through 2027.
'This was a pretty tough session from a budget standpoint because of the fiscal forecast,' Noland said Tuesday night.
'Everybody understood there was going to be a need to do something,' he said, so legislators agreed to give a two-year aid package. By 2027, the railroad will have been operating two years along the new Monon Corridor route as well as the expanded service along the traditional Lakeshore Corridor, giving better ridership and fare revenue numbers.
'Hopefully, by that time the economy will be red hot,' Noland said.
The proposed 10% fare increase showed legislators that passengers would help, too.
'We're seeing month-over-month ridership increases,' Noland said.
Public comments on the proposed fare increase are still invited by email, at [e-mail], until Monday.