Kensington Interlocking Rebuild

I hope to be able to follow this project as it starts soon and completes next year ... NICTD's board has approved paying $2.2 million for the upgrade (plus previously approved signal equipment).

Story in Chesterton Tribune

The Kensington project was originally estimated by NICTD’s engineering consultants to cost just under $1.7 million, but the two bids received came in about 35 percent higher. The low bid, from Aldridge Electric, totaled $2.2 million.

NICTD Board member Robert Kovach questioned if the NICTD Board should rebid the project, but Hanas said the fact the bids came in over budget were more the result of an underestimation by the engineers. The Kensington project will involve a complex set of circumstances: With more than 107 passenger trains and 20-plus freight trains daily, the construction will be tedious, as workers will have to work around the train schedule. He said the engineers didn’t take into account the lack of production time and the need for overtime hours.

Hanas also said the NICTD Board has been discussing the Kensington project for about 10 years and that if the work gets postponed now, the same complexities with the work production will exist and the prices will likely increase.

The Kensington bypass project will provide a second NICTD route through the Kensington Interlocking, providing additional operating windows for NICTD trains. The project required a three-part agreement between NICTD, Metra and the CN railroad.

I went to Kensington last year to take photos of the existing layout. I have not been able to find a copy of the plan on the Internet. The changes will be not be restoring the 1970's ladder track. Those are long gone (the current diamond track is not at the same angle as the old ladders and do not connect to the CN lines). The new connection is NICTD to track 4 northbound, not to the platforms. I hope to return as construction continues.

INTRESTING... I was under the assumption the contract to rebuilt the interlocking was already awarded.. sad to say this should have been completed years ago.
The main part of the story Im focusing on was the idea to build a new Gary/ Miller station to me its fruitless it would serve patrons better to keep the stations separated, Gary already dumped a good chunk of change into the Metro center and the surrounding area, seems like a waste of funding to move the station now, along with bus routes, parking lots, etc. Im for leaving the stations exactly where they are and let Gary pony up the funds to reconstruct the Gary station to high platform. Let Miller keep there own station.

The ridership figures for Gary (9%) and Miller (7%) are decent. The dream would be to combine that 16% at one station but human behavior doesn't follow math. Leave Miller alone. I'm surprised Gary gets 9% ... but they do have an extra five trains per day from Gary to the west.

If they want to close a station close Clark Rd. It can always be reopened at the new site (just east of Cline Ave) when the airport builds their new intermodal station. Better yet, build (free) access ramps from the Toll Rd to Industrial Ave (US 12) and run airport shuttle service to downtown and the new I-65 station.

A new station at I-65 to replace Gary Metro wouldn't bother me as long Miller stayed open but without ownership of the land and zero support and money to move forward I expect the plan to go nowhere. Closing stations and spending taxpayer money to give some local developer a financial boost is wrong. If the developer wants to cover all of the costs involved I'll be more accepting of it. The better place to rebuild for Gary would be at the current location ... for non-Gary residents the I-65 location would probably be better. It is time to figure out who the Gary project is intended to serve. (If it is intended to serve the developer, send him packing!)