If high-speed rail is to come to northern Indiana, the Indiana Department of Transportation favors a corridor that goes through Fort Wayne, not Elkhart and South Bend.

While disappointing, perhaps, to some boosters here who have lobbied in favor of the Elkhart-South Bend corridor, there's a silver lining. If federal authorities concur with INDOT, INDOT will recommend that the South Shore Line consider extending its network from South Bend to Elkhart, said INDOT Deputy Commissioner Leigh Morris.

INDOT will also ask that the South Shore -- which links Chicago, South Bend and several communities in between -- implement express service between South Bend and Chicago. Even if the South Shore isn't extended to Elkhart, that would make for quicker travel to the Windy City for Elkhart users who travel to South Bend to board the train.

INDOT favors the proposed high-speed corridor through Fort Wayne, according to Morris, because it is less costly and would carry more riders, among other things. The proposed high-speed network across northern Indiana, still just a proposal at this stage, would extend from Chicago to Cleveland.