South Bend station

This article is about the current Amtrak station that also formerly served the NICTD. For the former downtown station, see South Bend station (South Shore Line). For other uses, see South Bend station (disambiguation).

South Bend is a train station in South Bend, Indiana. It is served by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited between Chicago, Boston and New York City, and Capitol Limited between Chicago and Washington, D.C. The station was built by the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad in 1970; South Shore Line trains continued to use it until 1992.

South Bend, IN
General information
Location	2702 West Washington Street South Bend, Indiana United States
Coordinates	41°40′42″N 86°17′15″W / 41.6782°N 86.2874°W / 41.6782; -86.2874
Owned by	Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	South Bend TRANSPO: 2
Construction
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: SOB
History
Opened	July 7, 1970^[1]
Passengers
FY 2022	18,848^[2] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Chicago Terminus Capitol Limited Elkhart toward Washington, D.C. Lake Shore Limited Elkhart toward New York or Boston South
Former services Preceding station NICTD Following station New Carlisle toward Randolph Street South Shore Line Terminus Preceding station Amtrak Following station Hammond–Whiting toward Chicago Pennsylvanian 1998–2003 Elkhart toward Philadelphia Chicago Terminus Lake Shore 1971–1972 Elkhart toward New York (Grand Central)

History

Until 1970, South Shore Line interurbans served downtown South Bend at LaSalle and Michigan, where there had been a stop since 1908.^[3] The city had long wanted to eliminate street running, while the South Shore was looking to reduce costs as passenger traffic declined. The South Shore embarked on a program to consolidate its operations in South Bend. This included constructing the current station building at Meade and Washington and selling the old downtown station building, which had opened in 1921.

On August 7, 1969, South Bend mayor Lloyd M. Allen announced that the railroad would move its station. Allen claimed that for the past five years he had been working to persuade them to move the station.^[3] The station opened in 1970.

When Amtrak took over intercity rail service in 1971, it moved intercity rail service in South Bend to this station, away from the larger Union Station.^[4][5][6]

The South Shore Line moved its terminus to a new terminal at the South Bend International Airport in November 1992, although the track that used to terminate here was retained.^[7]

In the 1990s, there was some discussion of moving Amtrak to the Union Station.^[8] Subsequently, there were plans to build a new Amtrak station component at South Bend Transpo's South Street Station.^[9] Ultimately, this never materialized.^[10]

In the late-2010s, returning the South Shore Line to this location was studied as one of several options for replacing the current South Shore Line station.^[11][12]

Notes

1. Gregg, Ray (July 6, 1970). "South Shore Plans Dedication Tuesday". The South Bend Tribune. p. 11. Retrieved August 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.  
2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Indiana" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
3. Parrott, Jeff (July 19, 2017). "How the South Shore took its current path". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
4. "Interurban Moves into New Station". The South Bend News-Times. August 3, 1921. p. 4. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
5. "South Shore Line Starts New Station". The News-Palladium. March 28, 1970. p. 15. Retrieved October 10, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
6. Ogorek 2012, p. 62
7. Ogorek 2012, p. 93
8. "Tie that binds". Newspapers.com. The South Bend Tribune. July 5, 1992. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
9. Sulok, Nancy J. (May 14, 1998). "If Transpo's electric buses have impact, it will be big shock". Newspapers.com. The South Bend Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
10. "Laporte County intermodal rail yard". WNDU. September 2, 2007. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
11. Steele, Andrew (April 21, 2019). "Five options for new South Shore station in South Bend". Northwest Indiana Times. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
12. "South Bend Station Alternatives" (PDF). AECOM. April 19, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2019.

References

• Ogorek, Cynthia L. (2012). Along the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Rail Line. Images of America. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-738-59419-4.

External links

•   Media related to South Bend station at Wikimedia Commons

• South Bend, IN – Amtrak
• South Bend, IN – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• South Bend Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)