In 2016, the St. Joseph County Redevelopment Commission, in partnership with the South Bend Regional Chamber began the process to study rail development opportunities within various parts of St. Joseph County. The County presently has three Class I railroads (Norfolk-Southern, Canadian National, CSX), two Short Line railroads (Chicago South Shore & South Bend, Elkhart & Western) and two passenger rail providers (NICTD, AMTRAK) that travel through and provide various levels of service in St. Joseph County. The purpose of the study was to understand what railroads traveled through the county, what services that provided, and what opportunities were there to partner with the various railroad providers to create economic development opportunities within the County.
The study document entitled St. Joseph County Rail Opportunity Plan is a high-level study of rail opportunities in the County and will serve as a building block to further look at some of the specific project areas identified within the study document. As further rail study is conducted, the additional information will be posted at this location.
