(The Indianapolis Star posted the following article on its website on December 11.)
CHESTERTON, Ind. — The South Shore commuter railroad will reach a milestone it hasn’t touched in nearly half a century when the 4 millionth passenger for 2006 boards a train this week.
The South Shore is likely to reach the milestone Tuesday or Wednesday. Officials of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District will be able to predict today which day ridership will hit the 4 million mark.
“The last time more than 4 million riders took the train was in 1957,” said district spokesman John Parsons. Ridership totaled 4.2 million that year.
The milestone signifies a return of riders to the rails. More people have been using the line since an all-time ridership low of 1.46 million in 1978.
In recent years, numbers have started to climb because of traffic congestion and spiraling gas prices.