Valpo Transit hosted a special ribbon-cutting for its new Transit Center, on Wednesday, October 9. The event celebrated the brand-new facility at 252 S. Campbell Rd. (adjacent to Journeyman) as well as the growth of Valpo Transit through the years.
Mayor Jon Costas has led the evolution of Valpo Transit Center since his first administration. “We introduced the ChicaGo Dash bus service back in 2008 to connect with the city of Chicago,” Costas said. The ChicaGo Dash boards and delivers passengers at the new Transit Center. “We wanted to make it easy for our residents to get into the loop and come back safely. Every day, we have five beautiful coach buses that take riders around. It’s been a tremendous success here in Valparaiso and it has made things easier for the people here.”
Beth Shrader, planning and transit director for the Valpo Transit Center, is thankful for all of the helping hands that came together on this project.
“This was a huge group effort,” Shrader said. “I'd like to thank our funding supporters in the Northwest Community and the Regional Planning Commission who welcomed us with federal grants for this project. The Regional Development Authority helped with grants to make this possible as well. Our own redevelopment commission was instrumental in this from the very beginning. We also can't go without thanking Journeymen for putting in a lot of time, effort, and funds to make this gorgeous facility.”
“We thank Royal Excursion who operates our buses,” Shrader said. “That includes our drivers and dispatchers who people rely on every day to keep transit running. We also have Greyhound, which uses our transit center to provide services from Chicago to Indianapolis.”
The Valpo Transit Center also features a new electric vehicle charging station, available using the AmpUp app. “We look forward to expanding and continuing ridership increases,” said Shrader. Shrader is pleased that this project made it through bumps along the road, such as the Covid-19 pandemic when ridership was limited.
Nick Larson, board chairman for f the Valpo Chamber, shared community support. “This is fantastic for the city of Valparaiso,” Larson said. “The vision it takes for this kind of development is something that’s very special. It all continues to help our city grow and develop which makes this the perfect place to live and work.”
Valpo Transit has come a long way. When the V-Line intracity bus and ChicaGo Dash express bus to Chicago were introduced in 2007 and 2008, many doubted public transit could succeed in Valparaiso. Yet, the services have become an integral part of the Valparaiso community.
“I’ve had many people tell me that transit to Chicago was the tipping point for them moving into our Region, knowing this option was available. Now we have a double track on the South Shore as well,” said Costas. “We’re excited to make public transportation convenient and affordable. This has been a hard, complex project that has consisted of a great partnership to make it all happen.”
Following the ribbon cutting, Mayor Costas guided a fun bus tour around the city to show off the latest projects taking place in downtown Valparaiso, such as the newly opened Lincoln Highway Garage, The Linc multipurpose housing development, the Grand Gardner Hotel and the Memorial Opera House.
For more information on Valpo’s transit options, visit ValpoTransit.com.
