Former Gov. Kernan consulting on South Bend railroad project

LAPORTE, Ind. – Former Indiana Gov. Joseph Kernan has been tapped as a consultant for a proposal to bring an intermodal rail development to LaPorte County.\nKernan is a part-time consultant for Cressy & Everett, a Mishawaka, Ind., real estate development and management firm with options to buy land near Union Mills about 30 miles southwest of South Bend.\nKernan, who went to high school with the firm’s owners, said the intermodal project is still being researched for LaPorte County. An intermodal is a rail yard where goods are loaded and unloaded from train flat cars and trucks for transport by rail and highway.\nKernan said intermodals can be strong economic development engines, creating jobs while also reducing tractor-trailer traffic on roads and highways. He said northwestern Indiana is an ideal place for such a project.\n“Its proximity to Chicago and multiple railroad lines that connect to Chicago gives it the opportunity for the right kind of facility to be created,” he said.\nKernan said Cressy & Everett first must determine if the project is viable and makes sense financially. Then, he said the project would need the support of the railroads.