RELATIVE PRICES MATTER. Mr. Insull's Interurban is standing-room only during the rush hour.

The South Shore Line, which runs between South Bend and Randolph Street in Chicago, has seen a nearly 12 percent rise in passengers from January to April in 2006 compared with the same period last year.

John Parsons, of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the suburban line, said ridership was 1.3 million for the first four months this year, up 13 percent.

And that means fewer empty seats. Parsons said passengers will typically be standing on inbound trains after south suburban Hegewisch.

“We’re operating many of our rush-hour trains and popular off-peak trains at or above seating capacity,” he said.

The South Shore's schedules are somewhat skimpier now than they were immediately after World War II, when the base service was half-hourly to Gary, hourly to Michigan City, and every two hours to South Bend. In those days, the South Shore was able to obtain extra seats by splicing a middle section into their coaches. The current crop of cars are full-length for the line's curves.