The City of Valparaiso will pause the South Shore Connect service, effective January 1, 2024. The service currently provides bus transportation between the Valparaiso’s transit parking lot on Brown Street and Valparaiso University to the Dune Park South Shore train station. The service will be reviewed once the South Shore Double Track project concludes in August 2024. At that time, South Shore Connect service may reorganize and return.
The South Shore Connect service was introduced in 2019 and faced significant challenges as transit ridership dramatically declined in 2020 due to the pandemic and then the South Shore Double Track construction required South Shore Connect riders to transfer to a second bus to reach the station. “These challenges really prevented the South Shore Connect service from gaining momentum,” said Valparaiso’s Director of Planning and Transit Beth Shrader. “We are aware that there is an interest in this service, particularly from NICTD and the Valparaiso University community. We will study the service later in 2024 and reintroduce it if we can make it sustainable,” she said, sharing that currently the ridership for South Shore Connect averages just five passengers daily.
The City of Valparaiso operates two additional transit services, including the V-Line bus service throughout Valparaiso and the ChicaGO Dash express commuter bus from Valparaiso to Chicago each weekday. To learn more about these services, including routes and fares, visit ValpoTransit.com.