South Shore Line, NIPSCO and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Celebrate 50th Anniversary

South Shore Line, NIPSCO and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Celebrate 50th Anniversary

Members of The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), NIPSCO and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore came together to announce the newest addition to the South Shore passenger cars, a large and vivid image on the side of the passenger car highlighting the 50th Anniversary of the Dunes National Lakeshore.

"This is a celebration of our natural lakeshore and a display to everyone showing off the excellent ecosystem we have available here for residents along the shores and beyond," said NICTD General Manager Mike Noland. "When it comes to making this possible, it shouldn't surprise anyone that we partnered with NIPSCO to make it happen."

Noland credited NIPSCO with being a long time supporter of the South Shore and a business that always has the best in mind for the Dunes National Lakeshore as well as the South Shore.

"Because of the electrification of our rails system being provided by NIPSCO, it's because of them that we can bring people all the way from Chicago and South Bend to enjoy this beautiful treasure that we have in Northwest Indiana," said Noland.

"We're doing a lot of things that promote region pride," said NIPSCO Director of Economic Development Don Babcock. "To make things great in any area takes strong partnerships. Today is not just about celebrating these partnerships but it's about telling the great story of our national lakeshore. We want to brag about this area and bring others here to enjoy and nourish it as much as we do."

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Superintendent Paul Labovitz also expressed his thanks for this celebration of 50 years and credited the strong partnership between NICTD and NIPSCO as a true love and understanding of the importance of the lakeshore area.

"When your partners from the railroad company and power company come together to talk about the beauty of the lakeshore, it's a great thing," said Labovitz. "It's a special part of the world to live, work, and play in."

All partners involved held a strong and optimistic view that continued partnerships and celebrations such as the one today would continue to happen, and would continue to have strong, lasting effects on both NWI residents and those beyond the region.

"We're going to have smart growth and expansion not only so you can get to Chicago in an hour, but the folks in Chicago can get to their natural parks in an hour as well," said Labovitz.

"50 years and still beautiful. It's the slogan we are using for this anniversary and I really like that statement. I feel like it's such a great representation of everything we have to offer," said Babcock.

 To learn more about the South Shore Line, please visit their website, Facebook and Twitter page.

To learn more about NISPCO, please visit their website, Facebook and Twitter page.