By Gitte Laasby, Post-Tribune staff writer
The Indiana High Speed Rail Association believes Gary/Chicago International Airport could be the new transportation hub for the Midwest.
In a proposal, the association has requested $220,000 from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority for a study to determine if the vision could become a reality.
The business plan would outline the costs and economic benefits of commuter and inter-city rails. It could later be used to seek state funding.
An RDA working group meets at 9 a.m. today to discuss the funding proposal.
If the vision becomes a reality, passengers from Chicago would ride high-speed trains east and south through Gary. Trains would continue to Lafayette, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Fort Wayne, Toledo, Cleveland, Detroit and Lansing, Mich.
A third rail alignment could be built along the northwest Indiana corridor. Travelers could also connect to buses and airlines.
The goal of the IHSRA is to have the project operational by 2016, said W. Dennis Hodges, the association's vice president of membership and marketing.
"The real importance of this is to find a way to relieve this congestion and find a way to get the trains into Gary Airport and on to Chicago," he said. "It's $50 for gas and parking to downtown. We need trains to meet the demand."
The RDA working group meeting is open to the public.