Pete Visclosky on South Shore Line

The $1 billion plan to extend the South Shore line to Valparaiso and Lowell, Ind. is a "bargain, basement price" Northwest Indiana residents cannot afford to pass up, U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky said Wednesday. Preaching the gospel of the proposed extension, Visclosky spoke to 150 students and residents at PUC in Alumni Hall to convince the crowd the plan makes sense. He particularly appealed to PUC students, who he said will experience the long-term economic benefits of the new lines. Visclosky cited a recent study by Policy Analytics Studies in his speech, which predicted 26,000 new jobs and $81.9 billion in increased economic activity would arise in the next 30 years from the new South Shore routes. "We owe it to you young people," Visclosky said. "And we won't just wait for God to intervene." Visclosky also devoted a portion of his presentation to explain the financing of the proposed extension. Indiana taxpayers will be responsible for $350 million of the project, Visclosky said. The Regional Development Authority of Indiana will pick up $150 million of the tab, and the remaining $500 million will be matched by federal tax dollars. It's a price Visclosky said NWI needs to pay now. "Are we just going to sit around and do nothing?" Visclosky asked. "There is a huge cost to just do nothing." But not everyone bought what the Merrillville Democrat was selling. Kevin Cornett, the founder of People Opposed to the South Shore Expansion, said he has doubts about the economic benefits of the new rail lines. "Look at Hammond," Cornett said. "There's economic blight all around the existing South Shore line." Cornett also said Visclosky makes it seem like the $500 million of federal tax dollars to help finance the construction will come out of nowhere. "That money comes right out of our pockets too," he said. Chuck Barman, an opponent of the extension who ran for Congress against Visclosky in 2006, expressed concern about the width of the railways to be used for the new lines. He said the line to Lowell will require the use of eminent domain laws for news stations and parking lots. Barman also said expansion south effectively condemns struggling NWI cities to economic difficulty. "I think this is very unfair to Gary, Hammond and East Chicago because once you take the train south, those communities will never be the same," he said. Visclosky assured the crowd homes would not be snatched up by the government, and objected to the claim that the new lines would encourage a new wave of urban sprawl. He pointed out ridership on the existing line is the highest it's been at 4.2 million passengers in 2006. More lines would merely take the burden off current trains, he added. Visclosky also stressed the importance of NWI becoming more tied in with Chicago to increase access to high paying jobs downtown. His presentation came one day after the Indiana House passed the extension bill, which will now go to the Indiana Senate for approval.

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YouTube | February 13, 2008

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