The trains at the terminal: the South Shore's airport station

20–21 November 1992 — present

The railroad reached the airport in November 1992: The South Shore Line's airport station was dedicated on 20 November 1992 and the line's terminus moved to the airport on 21 November 1992 — the station record and the line record differ by the day, and both are printed. The station cost $1.8 million, of which the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District put up about $1 million, and it stands at 4485 Progress Drive, next door to the terminal's 4477. It replaced the shared Amtrak terminus known as Bendix Station, which had served both railroads since street running in South Bend ended on 1 July 1970; the airport track is the end of a former Chicago South Shore & South Bend freight spur along Bendix Drive — the electric interurban reached the airport over a freight railroad's rails. Intercity buses shared the terminal until 2019, when Greyhound moved downtown. The Airport Authority claims South Bend was "the first truly multi-modal airport in the country," and the claim is printed as the authority's, beside the dated facts that support its parts: air, intercity rail, and intercity bus under one roof from 1992 to 2019. The arrangement is now being rebuilt: a replacement west-side airport station on a new alignment, with fewer grade crossings and up to fifteen minutes saved, went to a request for proposals in 2022, advanced through planning in 2024, and is scheduled for construction in 2026–2027. The railroad's own history is in the Trains section of this history; what belongs here is the station's place in the airport.

Sources:

1. NICTD / South Shore Line station and line records — the airport station dedicated 20 November 1992, the terminus moved 21 November 1992, the $1.8 million cost with about $1 million from NICTD; the Bendix Station arrangement from 1970 and the end of street running 1 July 1970; NICTD, "South Shore Line Airport Realignment" — the west-side replacement station, RFP 2022, construction planned 2026–2027.
2. St. Joseph County Airport Authority — the "first truly multi-modal airport in the country" claim, printed as the authority's claim; intercity bus service at the terminal until 2019.