SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – An official with the South Shore commuter rail says express service that will allow commuters to get on a train in South Bend at 6 a.m. and arrive in downtown Chicago in less than two hours starting next month is just the start of work to cut commuting times.

Michael Noland, general manager of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the South Shore commuter rail, tells the South Bend Tribune (http://bit.ly/1zxPL7D) the goal is to eventually cut travel time between South Bend and Chicago to 90 minutes. He says that could make Michigan City a bedroom community of Chicago.

Noland says South Shore's growth as a railroad will depend on reducing travel times. The rail system's 20-year strategic plan outlines more than $1 billion worth of potential changes.