SlowFreight wrote:One has to wonder if we would have seen more development along the Dummy's corridor if it had stuck around. Not that the far south suburbs wouldn't have grown, but it might have made the lakefront more attractive.
The lakefront has the South Shore ... although west of Gary the line gets further away from the shoreline and the Dummy stayed close. The former Dummy route seems to be developed ... mostly industrial with a few casinos.
Most commuter lines run from communities with houses to communities with work. Not that people cannot live in the Chicago Loop ... or work in Valparaiso or Gary ... but normally one is talking about bringing thousands or tens of thousands into the city for jobs and then taking them back home to more rural communities.
Even with the Dummy in existence I would not see the lakefront between Gary and Chicago developed for housing -and as one moves away from the lakefront the South Shore becomes close enough to serve.
As far as the east of Gary section of the Dummy I believe that area could be better developed. Valpo has their daily bus to Chicago ... and many communities have people who drive to East Chicago to get on the South Shore. It is not an unserved market but better service would not be a bad idea.