South Shore Monon Corridor Ready To Go
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
NICTD via X
CHESTERTON, Ind. –– The South Shore Line is a commuter rail line that runs between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago to South Bend Airport Station in South Bend, Ind. This is an historic line on which the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District operates commuter rail service today. This week, South Shore announced that it will begin service on its new Monon Line on March 31.
The Monon Corridor is an 8-mile southern extension of the South Shore Line’s main Lakeshore Corridor, which is currently under construction. This new line will connect north Hammond to its final stop at the Munster/Dyer Station. The existing main line will continue to be called the Lakeshore Corridor. An approximation of the Monon Corridor route is marked by the green line in the map below. The Monon Corridor is so named as a tip of the hat to the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway, also known as the “Monon,” a classic twentieth century railroad that served Indiana from 1897-1971, and was merged into the Louisville & Nashville in 1971. The Monon corridor extension will serve a bit of territory once served by the Monon.
Map courtesy of Wikipedia
Map courtesy of NICTD
On its website, NICTD reports that “Leading up to the start of official service, test trains have been operated along the new route to ensure all systems are running safely and efficiently. These test trains have not carried passengers and help train onboard crews and dispatchers in preparation for the start of service.”
“Passenger service will officially begin on the new Monon Corridor at 11:45 am on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. The first train running on the Monon Corridor will move southbound (eastbound) from Hammond Gateway Station as Train 1109. Train 1109 will depart Hammond Gateway toward Munster/Dyer Station at 11:45am CDT. The first northbound (westbound) train on the Monon Corridor will be a shuttle train; this will be Train 1024 departing Munster/Dyer at 12:35pm CDT. Train 1024 will stop at Munster/Dyer, Munster Ridge, South Hammond, and Hammond Gateway. Passengers riding the Monon Corridor shuttle trains wishing to continue westbound into Chicago must disembark at Hammond Gateway Station and transfer to the main South Shore Line’s Lakeshore Corridor platform.”
The Monon
For your reference, here is an image and a graphic from the Monon when in service. To learn more about the history of The Monon, check out the Monon Historical-Technical Society.
Monon passenger train headed out of Chicago. Image courtesy of Monon Historical-Technical Society.
Monon Route logo, courtesy of Monon Historical-Technical Society
