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11th Street (NICTD)
Encyclopedia
The 11th Street station is a street stop in the central city neighborhood of Michigan City, Indiana
. It is located adjacent to the historic 11th Street Station of the former Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad
, which operated the station from 1927 until 1987.
The Chicago, South Shore and South Bend was one of the last interurban
railroads to operate profitably in the United States. Aggressive management, led by financier Samuel Insull
, reconceptualized the South Shore as the linchpin of a public transportation network operating throughout the industrialized Indiana Dunes region of Indiana. Insull interests built the 11th Street Station in central Michigan City in May 1927 as a pioneering piece of multimodal
public transportation infrastructure. The South Shore had affiliated with several regional bus
lines, and the 11th Street Station was conceived as a waiting area point where system users would transfer between a bus and an electric train.
After operating relatively successfully for some decades, the South Shore entered bankruptcy in the 1980s. Electric train service was reorganized under the umbrella of the publicly-funded Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
(NICTD), but affiliated bus service had long since ceased. The South Shore Line closed the 11th Street station in November 1987, but its NICTD successor-in-interest maintains train service to the street adjacent to the station. The station building itself, designed by Insull's staff-architect Arthur U. Gerber
, is closed and out of service .
Michigan City and NICTD have discussed the possibility of moving the tracks off the street, onto a less intrusive alignment. A series of recent studies concluded that the 11th Street alignment is the most viable and cost-effective option, especially in terms of transit-oriented development
. According to the preliminary plans, the alignment will be single-tracked and moved half a block (in most places) south of its present location. The current station will be replaced with a new facility between Franklin and Washington streets, southwest of the current location. It will have a raised, accessible platform and a new multi-level parking lot and have a siding track. Suffice to say, most of the buildings on the South side of 11th Street would have to be demolished to make way for the realignment.
There are considerable concerns among Michigan City residents about this plan, particularly those who would be relocated. Other possible alignments exist that would also separate the NICTD tracks from a grade widely used by motor vehicle traffic, and a public hearing was heald in September 2011 to discuss these possible alignments.
(at Franklin/11th Street intersection)
Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....
. It is located adjacent to the historic 11th Street Station of the former Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad
South Shore Line (NICTD)
The South Shore Line is an electrically powered interurban commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend, Indiana...
, which operated the station from 1927 until 1987.
History
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
railroads to operate profitably in the United States. Aggressive management, led by financier Samuel Insull
Samuel Insull
Samuel Insull was an Anglo-American innovator and investor based in Chicago who greatly contributed to creating an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States. Insull was notable for purchasing utilities and railroads using holding companies, as well as the abuse of them...
, reconceptualized the South Shore as the linchpin of a public transportation network operating throughout the industrialized Indiana Dunes region of Indiana. Insull interests built the 11th Street Station in central Michigan City in May 1927 as a pioneering piece of multimodal
Multimodal
Multimodal may refer to:* Multimodal distribution, a statistical distribution of values with multiple peaks* Multimodal interaction, a form of human-machine interaction using multiple modes of input/output....
public transportation infrastructure. The South Shore had affiliated with several regional bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
lines, and the 11th Street Station was conceived as a waiting area point where system users would transfer between a bus and an electric train.
After operating relatively successfully for some decades, the South Shore entered bankruptcy in the 1980s. Electric train service was reorganized under the umbrella of the publicly-funded Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
South Shore Line (NICTD)
The South Shore Line is an electrically powered interurban commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend, Indiana...
(NICTD), but affiliated bus service had long since ceased. The South Shore Line closed the 11th Street station in November 1987, but its NICTD successor-in-interest maintains train service to the street adjacent to the station. The station building itself, designed by Insull's staff-architect Arthur U. Gerber
Arthur U. Gerber
Arthur Uranus Gerber was a commercial architect who resided in Evanston, Illinois and whose designs included a number of transit stations in the greater Chicago, Illinois area, at least five of which have since been placed onto the National Register of Historic Places.-Styles:Gerber was known for...
, is closed and out of service .
Current status
The trains stop near the original station, opening the door on the north side of the track. To make up for the closure of the station, NICTD set up a small passenger shelter at the end of the adjacent parking lot, near the 11th Street/Pines street intersection. As the rule of thumb, conductors only open the doors in the first two cars.Michigan City and NICTD have discussed the possibility of moving the tracks off the street, onto a less intrusive alignment. A series of recent studies concluded that the 11th Street alignment is the most viable and cost-effective option, especially in terms of transit-oriented development
Transit-oriented development
A transit-oriented development is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership...
. According to the preliminary plans, the alignment will be single-tracked and moved half a block (in most places) south of its present location. The current station will be replaced with a new facility between Franklin and Washington streets, southwest of the current location. It will have a raised, accessible platform and a new multi-level parking lot and have a siding track. Suffice to say, most of the buildings on the South side of 11th Street would have to be demolished to make way for the realignment.
There are considerable concerns among Michigan City residents about this plan, particularly those who would be relocated. Other possible alignments exist that would also separate the NICTD tracks from a grade widely used by motor vehicle traffic, and a public hearing was heald in September 2011 to discuss these possible alignments.
Bus connections
Michigan City TransitMichigan City Transit
Michigan City Transit is a municipal bus service in Michigan City, Indiana. It was known as Michigan City Municipal Coach until 2007. The service was created in 1955, when Michigan City assumed control of bus routes operated by Michigan City Transit Lines, a private bus system...
(at Franklin/11th Street intersection)
- Route 1
- Route 2
- Route 4