In northwest Indiana, a big transportation achievement is now reality.

The South Shore double track project is now complete, and there was a ribbon cutting ceremony, Monday, to mark its opening. Govrnor Eric Holcomb and Second District Representative Rudy Yakym were in attendance.

This $649 million project involved adding another set of train tracks along a 17-mile area from Michigan City to Gary.

It reduces the time it takes to get to downtown Chicago by roughly 30 minutes.