Proposed connector would tie Elkhart, Mishawaka by trolley

The Michiana Area Council of Governments administers both the Interurban Trolley, which serves Elkhart and Goshen, and the South Bend Public Transportation Corp., which serves Mishawaka and South Bend.

MACOG announced a public comment period to discuss proposed service changes to the existing Interurban Trolley Yellow Line and Transpo’s Route 9 that it said would improve connectivity through the region. 

The proposed “Yellow Line Connector” would combine Transpo’s Route 9 east of the Mishawaka Transfer Center with the current Interurban Trolley Yellow Line route. The new route would operate between the Interurban Trolley’s Transfer Center in downtown Elkhart and Transpo’s Mishawaka Transfer Center in downtown Mishawaka.

Besides improving connectivity, MACOG Executive Director James Turnwald said the proposed connector would cut down on wait times.

“The new Yellow Line will bring better connections between Elkhart and Mishawaka,” he said in the announcement this week. “Today, bus service between downtown Elkhart and downtown South Bend runs every 60 minutes. This will increase regional connectivity, with buses now coming every 30 minutes on weekdays. The increased frequency of the yellow line will also reduce the transfer time for certain riders. Certain trips between the Transpo and Interurban Trolley systems currently require wait times while transferring of up to 75 minutes; the new Yellow Line Connector will reduce this wait time to 20 minutes on most trips.”