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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

1/26/11

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Purpose

NICTD plans to undertake a transportation planning project in collaboration with the City of

Michigan City. The purpose is to systematically evaluate a set of options for realigning the

South Shore commuter railroad through Michigan City and to arrive at consensus on a preferred

alignment that is in the best interests of NICTD and the City.

For over a century the South Shore/NICTD has operated along a 2-mile segment of single-track

that is embedded in the middle of 10th

and 11th

Streets in Michigan City. This “street running”

adversely impacts train operations, constrains the ability to enhance capacity, increases railroad

and street maintenance costs, creates unnecessary conflicts with parallel vehicular and cross

traffic, and affects the value of adjoining properties.

For the past 50-60 years various owners of the railroad have explored realignment proposals.

While the City supports the need for an evaluation of alternative alignments to improve railroad

operations and safety, NICTD has gone on record that continued embedded street operation is

not in its long term interest. Furthermore, the LaPorte County Land Development Plan identifies

the South Shore realignment and future station location as one of its top four infrastructure

issues.

Over the past 5 years NICTD has been working with the City of Michigan City exploring

feasible realignment options. We have examined the CSX route to the south, and several options

within the 10th

and 11th

St. corridor. We have also been asked by the City to refine our earlier

analysis of the north-end alignment that would involve merging with the Amtrak corridor (see

following map).

NICTD believes the final realignment must be cost-effective, enhance railroad and vehicular

safety by reducing grade crossings, improve railroad operating flexibility and capacity, improve

operating speeds, reduce long term maintenance costs and consolidate the two Michigan City

stations into one new ADA accessible hi-level platform station with sufficient parking and other

station amenities. The new station could also serve as the focal point for redevelopment in

Michigan City.

This study will involve the community and major stakeholders and systematically explore these

options and arrive at a preferred alignment. We believe this corridor analysis will give us the

answers we need to advance a project to PE and NEPA.

NICTD’s vision is to become the mode of choice for persons in northern Indiana and southwest

Michigan traveling to and from Chicago. The City of Michigan City wants to improve its access

to Chicago Loop employment and enhance its attractiveness as a destination for the Chicago

leisure market. Furthermore, the City is looking to jump start its downtown economy and use

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this initiative as a focal point for redeveloping neighborhoods along the corridor, improving

streetscapes, pedestrian access and the overall quality of life in the City.

To achieve this vision the service must be convenient. To be convenient it must be safe, easily

accessible, reliable and fast. By attracting additional commuters and occasional riders NICTD

also improves air quality, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and increases access to the

nation’s 3rd

largest metropolitan economy; where jobs pay on average 1/3 more than similar

occupations in northwest Indiana.

Barriers to Achieving Vision

Michigan City is located approximately 1/3 of the distance to Chicago from South Bend (see

NICTD system map on following page). Travel thru Michigan City not only affects service from

South Bend but can significantly affect service to downstream passengers if problems materialize

within this two mile segment.

Railroad alignment and track speed: The two miles of single track street running has two

severe horizontal curves and one vertical curve compounded by 34 grade crossings with a posted

track speed of 25 mph reducing actual speeds to less than 15 mph.

Conflict with parallel and crossing vehicular traffic: The South Shore operates in the middle

of 10th

and 11th

Streets with parallel vehicular traffic running east and west. It’s not uncommon

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for vehicles to wander into the path of a trailing train or for bicycle tires to catch the flangeway.

Many of the 34 grade crossings use cross bucks and stop signs because no additional grade

crossing warning systems can be installed because we have exhausted all available audio

frequencies, unless excessive warning times are provided – i.e. crossing warning devices are

activated sooner, and stay activated longer.

Signal Issues: The imbedded street running also presents an insurmountable barrier to effective

railroad signal communication. Rain and snow melt mixes with road salts creating an

electrolytic condition that rapidly deteriorates rail fasteners and shunts track circuits. This

creates false shunting of our signal system and highway-rail grade crossing warning devices.

False shunting of track circuits (an overly restrictive condition) is very common, especially in the

winter after heavy street salting. Railroad rules require trains to operate at restricted speed under

these conditions. This false shunting would affect the operational utility of positive train control

through Michigan City required under the Federal Railway Safety Act of 2008.

Overhead Wire: Middle of the street operation also impacts plans to upgrade our overhead

power system. Because of the distance from street curb to track center we are limited to a single

suspended trolley wire instead of the standard and more resilient 2-wire secondary/trolley

configuration. The curb location of the pole line supporting the trolley wire, signals and

communications is vulnerable to automobile accidents. We also cannot adequately down guy

catenary poles, adversely affecting vertical and horizontal wire alignment

Maintenance Costs: These 2 miles of track are NICTD’s most expensive track segment to

maintain. Since the track is embedded in asphalt, the ballast cannot drain properly, reducing the

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useful life of the crossties, ballast, rail and fasteners and increasing maintenance costs and

reducing the life of the asphalt roadway as well. We must periodically undertake a very

expensive and time consuming ballast renewal and tie replacement program requiring the

excavation and removal of complete track panels, ballast and sub-ballast. This requires the

closure of streets to vehicular traffic and temporary busing of train passengers. (see following

photos of rail reconstruction within 11th

St.)

Inadequate Passenger Stations: NICTD has two station stops in Michigan City consisting of

low-capacity bus shelters with minimal accommodations and inadequate parking capacity. Both

stations require passengers to board thru narrow end door stairwells stretching dwell time to in

excess of 3-4 minutes at Carroll Ave. and 2-3 minutes at 11th

St. where passengers board and

alight in the westbound traffic lane. Carroll Ave. Station is classified as an ADA key station

using a portable hand operated lift. When boarding passengers with disabilities dwell times may

easily rise to 10 minutes. Given that NICTD shares the right of way with a freight partner, high

level boarding platforms are complex to design and build involving interlocking plants and

gauntlet tracks. (see following two photos of existing Michigan City stations).

The City Council passed resolutions on

December 1, 2009 and August 17, 2010 identifying its vision for a realigned South Shore. The

Council believes the design of the new facilities must incorporate the following elements (see

City Council Resolutions #4435 and #4452 as attachments to this RFP):

a. Sensitivity to quality of life in terms of noise, vibration and visual impacts;

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b. Sensitivity to the Historic District including minimizing impacts to historic structures

and/or relocation/re-use of historic structures wherever possible;

c. Developing attractive streetscape designs;

d. Maintenance of the corridor;

e. The construction of a full service train station with appropriate amenities, inter-modal

capabilities, and with appropriate architecture;

f. Minimizing street closures while prioritizing the need for maintaining adequate vehicular

and pedestrian circulation through Michigan City;

g. Providing attractive fencing is required, as well as attractive landscaping and vegetative

buffers;

h. Maximizing the beneficial economic impact, including transit oriented development, to

the City;

i. Maximizing compatibility and collaboration with other railroads, including Amtrak;

j. Pursuing a funding strategy for construction of multi-story parking structures rather than

surface parking in order to maximize efficiencies, accessibility and use, and economic

development potential and minimize property acquisition and displacements; and

k. Developing an intermodal bus/train transfer center at the new South Shore station that is

compatible with the nearby streetscape, surrounding neighborhood, and land uses in the

area.

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Scope of Services

NICTD is looking for a highly qualified consulting team that can demonstrate a successful

history of integrated railroad and transportation planning (rail, transit facilities, roadway) public

outreach, negotiations with railroad agencies, and a track record of solving associated problems

who bring a successful combination of railroad/transportation engineering and planning

expertise to bear on answering fundamental questions related to changing South Shore’s

alignment through Michigan City.

Both the City of Michigan City and NICTD expect this alignment analysis to result in a

recommended preferred alignment acceptable to both the City and NICTD. It is expected that

this study process will provide answers enabling NICTD to advance the project to PE and NEPA.

It is important for this alignment study to demonstrate how these investments will improve the

railroad and advance the economic and community development objectives of the City, as well

as enhance the neighborhoods affected by the realignment.

Review Prior Studies as a First Step Over the past 5 years the City and NICTD have jointly retained a professional consulting firm to

examine various alignment options in a series of informal studies. The consulting team will

review these earlier efforts as a first step. These earlier alignments include:

• CSX south of downtown from roughly Karwick Rd. west to Porter/LaPorte County Line

Rd.

• Out of the street but within the 10th and 11

th Street Corridor

• Amtrak alignment north via Nickel Plate

• In addition to the above alignments the consultant will also examine a different routing to

connect to Amtrak that would follow the Nickel Plate to Trail Creek and then west along

Trail Creek, connecting with Amtrak near Washington St.

From this review and through interviews, the consultant team should gain an understanding of

what the City and NICTD hope to achieve through this realignment study and will work with

NICTD and the City to identify the objectives and the evaluation standards, criteria, and

methodology.

Deliverable: A detailed description of each alternative to be evaluated

Evaluation of Alternatives

As the consulting team evaluates the alternative alignments it is important to have a clear

understanding regarding issues specific to the 4 build alternatives, namely:

• Amtrak route via Nickel Plate - What are the navigable waterway clearance requirements

for a fixed span bridge over Trail Creek? This issue must be addressed early in the study

process since it impacts the design of a fixed span bridge over Trail Creek.

• Establishing a memorandum of understanding with CSX concerning the sharing of data,

operational and real estate requirements related to this alignment.

• Impact of street closures within the 10th/11

th Street Corridor

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• Amtrak route via Michigan Blvd – How would the placement of NICTD and South Shore

freight service within this corridor affect the City’s ongoing investment in the Michigan

Blvd corridor.

• Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) plan that includes assessments of road crossings, risks

inherent therein, and impacts on emergency service response.

Each alternative will be evaluated according to the following measures and will broadly consider

total project cost on the railroad and community, travel time savings and the overall impact on

the community and neighborhoods.

Specifically, the evaluation will examine the impact on:

• Transportation System:

o System usage

o Ridership

o Travel time savings

o Service Reliability

o Accessibility, including end termini issues, eg., park & ride

o Safety

o Operating efficiency

o Multi-modal options

o Relationship with Amtrak, South Shore Freight, and CSX

• Environment. Environmental screening for each of the alternatives will be performed

during this task to identify potential environmental fatal flaws.

o Air Quality

o Water Quality

o Wetlands

o Endangered Species

o Parklands

o Historic Resources

o Permitting

• Community

o Land Use and Land acquisition requirements. Special attention will be paid to

evaluating the integration of transportation and land use for each alternative. The

study team will work closely with the City and other stakeholders to promote

transit-supportive land development patterns

o Neighborhood impacts

o Visual and Aesthetics

o Historic Resources

o Environmental Justice

o Sustainable Design

o Mobility improvements

o Multi-modal elements

o Marketing of improvements

• Economics

o Capital Costs

o Operating, Maintenance, and Replacement Costs

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o Energy Savings Opportunities

o Direct and Indirect Economic Benefit

o Fuel savings

o Land Development Potential

o Business and Residential Development Enhancement Potential

o Sustainability

Deliverable

Draft and final reports (12 copies) detailing information gathered and conclusions drawn

there from regarding all of the above as to each alternative. The report shall be in a

format approved by the City and NICTD and shall include the relevant data and

information received or acquired, citation to authoritative sources relied on, and for each

alternative, a technical recitation and discussion of the pros and cons, a narrative

summary of the evaluation, and a conceptual engineering plan.

Conceptual Engineering Plans

While final alignments and track details will not be fully developed at this stage, the conceptual

designs will be advanced and reviewed sufficiently to assure that the selected alternative can

proceed forward into PE/NEPA and Final Design without significant changes (PE/NEPA and

final design are not part of this RFP). Potential conflicts and fatal flaws will be identified and

addressed prior to moving ahead with a preferred corridor.

Conceptual engineering will include capital costs including: guide way and track elements,

stations, support facilities, site work and special conditions, systems, ROW land and existing

improvements, professional services, unallocated contingencies and finance charges. Costs will

also include operating/maintenance costs. This would include artist renderings of proposed

station and alignments (typical cross sections).

At this point in the process the conceptual designs with advantages and disadvantages should be

ready for public review and comment.

Based on public and stakeholder comment the consultant will work with the City and NICTD to

reach consensus on preferred alternative that:

1. Improves mobility for every community served by the South Shore, especially residents

of Michigan City and LaPorte County.

2. Enhances the environment by improving air quality through reductions in green house

gas emissions and reduces our reliance on foreign oil.

3. Minimizes adverse impacts on water quality.

4. Achieves operating efficiencies and improves the state of good repair for the railroad and

City of Michigan City

5. Enhances the economic impact/development potential to Michigan City

6. Meets the criteria identified in City Resolutions #4435 and 4452

Deliverable

Alternative Analysis Report including preferred alignment and supporting data, information,

and documentation.

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Implementation Schedule and Financial Plan Once we reach consensus on the preferred alignment the consultant will prepare an

implementation plan and schedule and a corresponding financial plan. The consultant will also

prepare public information to help the stakeholders “Make the Case” to state and federal funding

agencies.

Deliverables Document identifying next steps, schedule for same, and financial management plan

along with a series of power point slides describing the preferred option. Also, technical

specifications for soliciting consultants to prepare Preliminary Engineering and NEPA

services.

On Going Public Involvement & Agency Coordination Proposed investments need to have substantial community and political support to convince

funding partners that transit investments for the realignment are well thought out and prudently

use scarce public dollars. In addition NICTD and the City are keenly aware of the challenges

they face in maintaining community support for the Project. Over the past several years the City

has sponsored several spirited community meetings related to alternative alignment options. It

will be imperative for the study team to continue to effectively manage this process to achieve

the desired results.

Coordination of information with all interested entities is essential to ensure that the message is

consistent, planned, and timely.

The study will affect a large array of stakeholders including residents, local and state

governments and agencies, developers, institutions, businesses, civic and environmental groups.

The study process will develop substantial and credible technical data and information on each

option to help guide the community through a logical alignment selection process, create a vision

and build consensus.

Public Outreach It will be important to closely integrate urban design, community form, and economic

development considerations with the transportation planning analyses. Implementation of a

broad participatory public outreach, education, and engagement process – encouraging input

from diverse populations across all spectrums of the community will be important.

Outreach Activities:

Open Houses: NICTD and the City will incorporate open houses into the study process. These

forums will give the public an opportunity to learn more about the project and provide a means

for the study team to gather valuable comment and reaction. We plan to build on the previous

open forums that have been held over the past several years.

Targeted Outreach: The study team will work to prepare a data base of agencies, businesses,

community leaders and activists for a targeted outreach campaign. The purpose of the campaign

will be to maximize community participation and input to develop a broad and mutual

understanding of the facts, issues, and to explore solutions.

Elected Official Briefings: Special attention will be given to elected officials throughout the

study including federal, state and local levels.

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Agency Coordination

Technical Team Committee: Comprised of the consultant, City and NICTD planning and

engineering department representatives, City and NICTD officials, to be supported by

administrative staff from NICTD.

Stakeholder Advisory Committee: Meet quarterly and consist of TTC, Municipal Coach, NIRPC,

INDOT, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Indiana Department of Natural

Resources, LaPorte County Convention and Tourism Bureau, Michigan City Chamber of

Commerce, Michigan City Economic Development Corporation, Michigan City Redevelopment

Commission, and other interested parties.

Railroad Coordination: Agency coordination must include discussions with other area railroads

such as Amtrak , SouthShore Freight, and CSX. It is important that all impacted railroads

understand the project and work cooperatively to build consensus for the use of their rights of

way where required.

Deliverables: Technical memoranda on all outreach activity.