Quote:
Originally Posted by SIGSEGV
Illinois would pay for the extension to Ewing Ave, and Indiana/the casinos would have to pay to extend past the state line, but they probably wouldn't pony up. But by itself, an extension to Ewing Ave probably isn't worth it (even though it would give the East Side and its 24,000 residents much better access to downtown compared to taking the bus to the current South Chicago terminal) without also extending to Whiting (and possibly East Chicago).
That's true that it would add competition to a city casino though, so that is indeed a problem!
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I actually like the idea of an extension to East Side and Indiana in the future, but the current Indiana population is too low to justify it and even the bus ridership there is pretty low. Maybe once the refineries start closing and the brownfields get turned into housing, there could be justification for a MED extension.
In the meantime, bus service needs to be greatly improved in the area. Hammond and East Chicago are right next to each other but have different bus systems, and Whiting has to rely on Hammond buses to get to East Side and the South Shore Line. It would be great if there was a unified Indiana bus system, similar to NJ Transit and CT Transit, or if they decided to join the Pace network.