Hammond Approves Downtown South Shore Station Designer


CATEGORY: Economic Development, Mayor's Office, News

Design Work to Begin in Preparation for West Lake Corridor Train Station

The City of Hammond has named and contracted with the architect of its upcoming train station in Downtown Hammond. Alexander Gorlin Architects of New York City will be designing an iconic station on the West Lake Corridor line, which is slated to begin ridership service in May 2025. “This is an important step for the revitalization of downtown Hammond,” said Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. “This station was not originally slated for a stop on the the West Lake line, but we worked with NICTD to find the best location in downtown for it. We are looking forward to beginning construction as soon as ridership begins next spring.”

The station design, the platform, and the public square to the west of the line is budgeted at $10M. $2.8M was awarded to the City of Hammond through the READI 1.0 grant, administered by the NWI Forum as part of its “Ignite the Region” and the remainder will be funded from the City’s recently approved Food and Beverage Tax.

“Jeff Speck, the author of Hammond’s 2019 Downtown Master Plan, will be assisting with the station design as the Lead Designer. Having Jeff on board creates continuity for our downtown revitalization, helping the City create a cohesive and walkable downtown,” said Anne Taylor, Executive Director of Planning and Development. “Hammond is taking advantage of this opportunity to create more than a train station. We want to build an innovative and welcoming space for our residents and visitors to not only pass through with comfort and interest, but also pause and really take the space in.”

This station will “become one of the centerpieces of the new urban plan to revitalize the city center,” stated architect Alexander Gorlin. Construction will begin next spring and the station is due to be completed in August 2026.