Are trains running on time on the new South Shore Line Double Track?

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - It’s day two since the opening of the Double Track project. So, are South Shore Line trains running on time?

WNDU 16 News Now put the new schedule to the test by boarding train 14 at the South Bend International Airport.

Alice Ushela is a flight attendant who has spent 38 years in the travel business and countless hours on South Shore trains. She was on train 14 this morning on her way to O’Hare Airport to work a three-day shift that will take her to Phoenix, Cincinnati, then back to Chicago before she’ll take the train home to South Bend on Friday.

When asked why she doesn’t just move to Chicago she said it’s more affordable here in Michiana.

“I’m from here. I can own a home for a fraction of the cost that I could in Chicago,” she said.

For Alice, the South Shore is an integral part of making a living. For Derek Sarber, it’s perhaps an integral part of living life to the fullest.

“I’m from LaGrange Indiana. I’m heading to Chicago to go to Northwestern for a doctor’s appointment, then after that, I’m heading to a White Sox game,” he told WNDU 16 News Now.

Instead of having to pay to park and having to pay for tolls, Sarber says he can simply pay $14.25 for a one-way ticket to downtown Chicago.

Crystel Jackson was sitting in the same rail car as Sarber.

“Actually, I’m based in Chicago. I’m here visiting a friend in South Bend, and have family that is in the area, so used to live here,” she explained. “The train has always been a convenient way of shuffling between here are the city.”

Today, express train 14 left South Bend on time, at 7:27 a.m. EDT. Despite a limited number of stops, it arrived at Millennium Station in Chicago about 17 minutes late.

However, the two hour and seven-minute trip time was still about 23 minutes quicker than it was on the single-track system.

The new Double Track schedule began on Tuesday.

“Day one had some positives and some opportunities for growth,” said South Shore Line President Michael Noland. “The positive was our first train out out of South Bend, train number 8, made it in an hour and 51 minutes, which is the fastest time we’ve ever recorded out of South Bend. Today, it made it in an hour and 49, so, we’re pretty excited about that time reduction.”

For a full look at the South Shore’s new schedule, click here.