Michigan City (Street Running)

Michigan City's 11th Street corridor was one of North America's most famous railfan destinations for over a century, with South Shore Line electric trains literally running down the middle of the street alongside cars and pedestrians. That era ended on February 27, 2022, when NICTD ceased street running as part of the $649 million Double Track Northwest Indiana project. Today, the tracks have been relocated to a dedicated right-of-way running parallel to 11th Street rather than in it, with two main tracks replacing the former single street-running track.

The modern setup still offers compelling trainwatching. The new 11th Street station, which opened its full building and 542-space parking garage in June 2025, serves as a convenient base. South Shore Line EMUs draw current from 1,500-volt DC overhead catenary and pass through at moderate speed on the double-track alignment. On weekdays, about 53 trains operate to and from Chicago, with some originating or terminating at the 11th Street or Carroll Avenue stations. Express trains cover Michigan City to Chicago's Millennium Station in just 67 minutes.

At the 10th Street crossing just west of the station area, the South Shore diamond with Amtrak's Michigan Services line (used by the Wolverine and Pere Marquette trains) creates an interesting junction where electric commuter trains cross paths with Amtrak Charger-hauled consists. After dark, Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad (CSS) freight trains, powered by orange-and-maroon GP38-2 diesels, may still traverse the corridor moving cars to industrial customers.

The setting is flat, lakeside Midwest. Michigan City sits on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, less than a mile north of the 11th Street corridor, and onshore breezes off the lake moderate temperatures in summer and can bring lake-effect snow in winter. The neighborhood along 11th Street is a mix of early 20th-century wood-frame houses, small commercial buildings, and new development spurred by the Double Track project.

The most dramatic change to the atmosphere came with the $80 million mixed-use development at the station site, built by Flaherty & Collins. A twelve-story residential tower with 208 apartments now rises beside the tracks — a stark contrast to the modest houses that once flanked the street-running rails. The original 1927 station's terra cotta facade, designed by architect Arthur U. Gerber for Samuel Insull, was salvaged during the 2022 demolition and incorporated into the new station's entryway, preserving a tangible link to the interurban era.

The catenary poles and overhead wire give the corridor an unmistakably railroad character. Autumn brings vivid foliage from the neighborhood's mature maples and oaks, while the proximity to Lake Michigan means conditions can shift quickly — fog rolling in off the water or sudden clearing after a summer thunderstorm.

The South Shore Line, operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), is the dominant service through Michigan City. Since the May 2024 implementation of the Double Track schedule, 53 trains operate on weekdays between Michigan City and Chicago's Millennium Station, a significant increase from the roughly 28 daily trains that ran during the street-running era. Weekend service is somewhat reduced. The fleet consists of 82 Nippon Sharyo-built EMUs (1982–2009): 58 single-level self-propelled cars, 10 unpowered trailers, and 14 bilevel self-propelled cars, all running on 1,500V DC from overhead catenary.

Michigan City has two stations: 11th Street in the Uptown area and Carroll Avenue about 1.5 miles south. Some trains originate or terminate at each. Express service makes the Michigan City–Chicago run in 67 minutes; local service takes longer with intermediate stops at Beverly Shores, Dune Park, Portage/Ogden Dunes, Miller, and others.

Freight service is provided by the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad (CSS, reporting mark CSS), a Class III short line owned by Anacostia Rail Holdings. CSS rosters 13 diesel locomotives — the backbone being EMD GP38-2s in the railroad's distinctive orange-and-maroon livery. CSS shares 75 miles of track with NICTD and operates approximately 45 miles of freight-only and trackage rights lines. Key commodities include steel, coal (for the NIPSCO Michigan City generating station), scrap metal, and manufactured products. CSS freight typically operates during overnight hours when passenger traffic is lighter.

At the 10th Street diamond, Amtrak's Michigan Services (Wolverine and Pere Marquette trains between Chicago and Michigan/Pontiac) cross the South Shore tracks at grade.

The end of street running fundamentally changed the photographic character of this location. The iconic shots of EMUs squeezing past parked cars on 11th Street are no longer possible — those images are now historical. However, the modern corridor offers its own opportunities.

The new 11th Street station area provides elevated perspectives from the parking garage levels, looking down on arriving and departing trains with the new residential tower as a backdrop. At street level, the grade crossings at Franklin Street, Pine Street, and Washington Street allow classic broadside shots of trains on the double-track alignment. Morning light favors eastbound views (toward Carroll Avenue), while afternoon sun lights up westbound trains headed toward Dune Park and Chicago.

The 10th Street Amtrak diamond crossing, where the South Shore Line crosses the former Michigan Central (now Amtrak/Norfolk Southern) tracks, is one of the most interesting photo spots. Here you may catch both an NICTD EMU and an Amtrak train in the same frame.

For those documenting the transition, there is a striking contrast between the preserved 1927 station facade integrated into the new building and the gleaming modern platforms — a before-and-after story told in architecture.

Michigan City's street running was among the last surviving examples of mainline interurban operations in the United States and represented an unbroken link to the early 1900s electric railway era. The Chicago & Indiana Air Line Railway was incorporated on December 2, 1901, and reorganized as the Chicago, Lake Shore & South Bend Railway (CLS&SB) in 1904. Revenue service between Michigan City and South Bend began on July 1, 1908, using franchises for street operation obtained in 1903.

Financier Samuel Insull acquired the bankrupt CLS&SB in 1925, renaming it the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (CSS&SB). His team invested over $6.5 million in upgrades, including converting the power system from 6,600V AC to 1,500V DC on July 28, 1926. The landmark 11th Street Station, designed by Insull's staff architect Arthur U. Gerber, opened in May 1927 as a multimodal transfer point between electric trains and affiliated bus lines.

Over the decades, other street-running sections were eliminated — East Chicago in 1956, South Bend in 1970 — leaving Michigan City as the last holdout. The CSS&SB was acquired by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1967. NICTD was formed in 1977 to subsidize declining passenger service, formally assuming operations in 1989. Anacostia & Pacific took over freight operations in 1990.

The 11th Street station building closed in November 1987 but trains continued stopping on the street until May 1, 2021. The building was demolished in January 2022, though its terra cotta facade was salvaged. Street running officially ended on February 27, 2022. The $649 million Double Track project, completed in May 2024, transformed the corridor with double tracks, high-level platforms, and grade separations.

Michigan City occupies a unique place in North American railroad history as the site of the last interurban-style street running on a regularly scheduled commuter railroad. For 114 years (1908–2022), full-size electric multiple-unit trains shared the asphalt with automobiles, cyclists, and pedestrians — not tourist streetcars or heritage trolleys, but federally regulated commuter rail carrying thousands of daily riders between northwest Indiana and downtown Chicago.

What sets this location apart today is its role as a case study in transit-oriented development. The transformation from a single street-running track with a makeshift shelter to a modern double-track railroad with a twelve-story mixed-use development happened in just three years. The new station incorporates the salvaged 1927 facade into a contemporary transit hub with 542 parking spaces, a historical exhibit, and an interactive model train display.

The Amtrak diamond crossing at 10th Street adds variety not found at most commuter rail locations. And the continued operation of CSS freight, with its heritage GP38-2 fleet in classic orange-and-maroon paint, provides a visual throwback even as the passenger infrastructure has been thoroughly modernized.