Regular service is set to resume Friday for the South Shore Line following a June 24 freight train derailment near East Chicago.
The busing substitution between the Hammond Gateway and East Chicago stations will end with the last train on Thursday, the railroad said.
The buses are costing the railroad an estimated $750,000, Chief Experience and Engagement Officer Nicole Barker said Wednesday.
The first train on the normal schedule Friday will be eastbound Train 401, which leaves Carroll Avenue Station in Michigan City at 3:50 a.m., she said.
Trains have been operating on a weekend/holiday schedule with the addition of early rush hour trains from Munster/Dyer on the Monon Corridor route since service resumed.
The derailment occurred on the South Shore Line’s Grand Calumet River Bridge when 13 cars of an empty South Shore Freight coal train tipped over, damaging the supports and overhead wires that power the South Shore Line’s passenger trains. No injuries were reported.
New parts had to be fabricated and installed.
“We thank the South Shore Line crews, Iron Workers Local 395, Operations Local 150, DLZ and Superior Construction teams that worked incredibly hard to make these repairs in a safe and timely manner,” South Shore Line President David Dech said in a news release. “We also thank our passengers for their patience during this challenging time.”
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
