The Indiana General Assembly approved funding for the branch in 2015, and the Federal Transit Administration awarded a grant to the line in 2019.

[8] In 2017, the NICTD began demolition of houses between Hanover and Brunswick streets to begin building a new station, where trains would interchange with the main line.

[13][14] A groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 28, 2020, which included the signing of a full funding grant between the FTA and NICTD.

[17] NICTD's president Mike Noland said the West Lake Corridor could open as early as May 2025, as long as an underpass near the Dyer station was completed on schedule.

[18][19] Traveling southbound, the new branch leaves the existing main line immediately before Hammond Gateway station.

[21] Due to financial constraints, the initial segment will not extend to St. John or Lowell, but provisions will be made for future extension.

[22] NICTD has also proposed extending the line further south to serve Lowell, St. John, and Cedar Lake, but as of 2024[update] there are no specific plans to carry out this extension.