Commuter Rail in Indiana. Interesting topic. I’m sure a lot of people would love to ride a fast, smooth, quiet train from their bedroom communities to work downtown, or from any of the smaller communities around to the bigger cities. I’m also sure there are a couple of people who absolutely hate the idea of change. For whatever reason, there is plenty of debate about the idea. Some of it centers on location. Should a line go out through the airport and down to the south/west? What about Brownsburg and beyond? But we really need something to clear up congestion on I-69 out towards Noblesville. Well the answer is that there is nowhere in the Indianapolis suburbs that currently has the density to support a commuter rail line, be it high speed or otherwise. So the demand would not be there for any line, even one to Chicago. In order to support a line, the density would have to build up around it, so the line would come first. This mean that the best place for the line would really be any place willing to promote the density required. And THIS means that the area would have not be a bedroom commuter colony, but an active diverse corridor, with jobs, homes, and attractions. People will have to go to AND from on the line, and not leave it barren midday and evenings.
Any Midwest rail line is going to be a long process, beginning with the guts to build the line, and ending with a change in lifestyle. I know it is hard to pass on the idea of living close to each other, but the closer things are to you, the closer you are to everything. Think about it
-Tim
