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Dune Park (NICTD)
Encyclopedia
Dune Park is a station
in unincorporated Porter County, Indiana
located north of the municipalities of Chesterton
and Porter
. It is used by South Shore Line
trains, and serves as the headquarters of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), the umbrella agency that operates the South Shore Line. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and Indiana State Road 49
.
Dune Park is a comparatively new station, built in 1985 to serve as a regional commuter station and as NICTD's corporate headquarters. The station was designed to replace the South Shore's former nearby station at Tremont, Indiana
, a location that was becoming depopulated with the expansion of the nearby Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
.
The Dune Park station was built with substantial parking space to consolidate local commuter service, and in 1992 the South Shore Line ceased to offer its traditional flag stop service to Dune Acres, Indiana
and Kemil Road, several miles west and east of Dune Park respectively. Users of these low-volume stops were instructed to instead use the consolidated Dune Park station.
"Dune Park" is so called because it the station is physically surrounded by land owned by the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
. Major units of the National Lakeshore are accessible from the station on U.S. 12 and the Calumet Trail
. The station is also adjacent to the Indiana Dunes State Park
, which is accessible to the north via Indiana 49.
Dune Park was also the name of a former section of the Indiana Dunes, between Ogden Dunes, Indiana
and Dune Acres, that was physically leveled in the 1960s to create the Port of Indiana
steelmaking and industrial complex.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in unincorporated Porter County, Indiana
Porter County, Indiana
Porter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 164,343. Much of the population growth has to do with the expansion of the Chicago Metropolitan Area eastward into Indiana. The county seat is Valparaiso...
located north of the municipalities of Chesterton
Chesterton, Indiana
Chesterton is a town in Westchester, Jackson and Liberty townships, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,068 at the 2010 census. The three towns of Chesterton, Burns Harbor, and Porter are known as the tri-towns or the Duneland area....
and Porter
Porter, Indiana
Porter is a town in Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,972 at the 2000 census.Porter is noted for its proximity to the Indiana Dunes State Park and for its railroad heritage...
. It is used by South Shore Line
South Shore Line (NICTD)
The South Shore Line is an electrically powered interurban commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend, Indiana...
trains, and serves as the headquarters of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), the umbrella agency that operates the South Shore Line. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and Indiana State Road 49
Indiana State Road 49
State Road 49 in the U.S. State of Indiana is a state highway in northwest Indiana. It runs from just north of Chesterton at the intersection with U.S. Route 12 south to a rural interchange 10 miles northeast of Rensselaer with State Road 14...
.
Usage
Tremont, Indiana
Tremont Founded 1833 Changed 1876 Location U.S. 12 and Tremont Road Nearest City Porter, Indiana Coordinates Tremont, Indiana, is a ghost town formerly located in what is now the Indiana Dunes State Park and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Westchester Township in northern Porter County,...
, a location that was becoming depopulated with the expansion of the nearby Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore located in northwest Indiana and managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966. The national lakeshore runs for nearly along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, Indiana, on the west to Michigan...
.
The Dune Park station was built with substantial parking space to consolidate local commuter service, and in 1992 the South Shore Line ceased to offer its traditional flag stop service to Dune Acres, Indiana
Dune Acres, Indiana
Dune Acres is a town in Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 182 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dune Acres is located at ....
and Kemil Road, several miles west and east of Dune Park respectively. Users of these low-volume stops were instructed to instead use the consolidated Dune Park station.
"Dune Park" is so called because it the station is physically surrounded by land owned by the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore located in northwest Indiana and managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966. The national lakeshore runs for nearly along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, Indiana, on the west to Michigan...
. Major units of the National Lakeshore are accessible from the station on U.S. 12 and the Calumet Trail
Calumet Trail
The Calumet Trail is an east-west bicycle and multiuse recreational trail in northwestern Indiana's Calumet region, running roughly parallel to U.S...
. The station is also adjacent to the Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana DunesDesignationState Park; National Natural LandmarkLocationPorter County, Indiana, USAAddress1600 N 25 EChesterton, IN 46304Nearest CityPorter, IndianaCoordinatesAreaDate of Establishment1925...
, which is accessible to the north via Indiana 49.
Dune Park was also the name of a former section of the Indiana Dunes, between Ogden Dunes, Indiana
Ogden Dunes, Indiana
Ogden Dunes is a town in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,110 at the 2000 census. It is named for Francis A. Ogden, who owned the land there before his death in 1914.-History:...
and Dune Acres, that was physically leveled in the 1960s to create the Port of Indiana
Port of Indiana
The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is an industrial area, founded in 1965 and located on the Lake Michigan shore of Indiana at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and Indiana 249. The primary work done in the area is the manufacturing of steel, and the port area is dominated by steel mills...
steelmaking and industrial complex.
External links
- South Shore Line - Stations
- South Shore Railfan.net