Hudson Lake is the one remaining intermediate flag stop on the South Shore Line between Michigan City and South Bend. Until NICTD restructured service to make service faster on July 5, 1994 additional intermediate flag stops were located at LaLuminiere and Rolling Prairie west of the station and New Carlisle just east of the station. The stop is barely located in La Porte County in a rural township, and is barely still located in Central Time. The St. Joesph County Line where the interurban enters Eastern Time as it approaches South Bend is just a half-mile east of the station. The station is a flag stop. On South Bend-bound trains conductors walk through the trains asking if anyone needs to get off at Hudson Lake, and if no one does will high-ball it through. Only 4 of he 5 daily Chicago to South Bend trains stop at Hudson Lake with the morning Sunrise Express train skipping the station and its counterpart the return weekday express train skipping the station. All other trains stop, including all 5 daily trains on weekends.
The Hudson Lake station is located just east of the grade-crossing of North Chicago Road, just north of County Road 700 N. The parking area of a small lakeside resort is across from the station. The stop is tiny. There is a single doublewide bus shelter with a system map. Inside is a black bench plus a schedule panel. A bike rack is located, directly on ballast just in the rear of it. Trains stop at a tiny 10 foot long low-level platform, that is basically a painted yellow line on the side of a small parking area just off of County Road 700 N. On the platform is a push to activate button and strobe light to signal the train to stop. The South Shore Line website claims there are 20 parking spaces but there appear to be fewer. As of June 2016 the station is missing all signs for Hudson Lake, the posts for one across the platform and one along the shelter still exist. It also is the only station along the core South Shore Line corridor (except for the flag stops on Metra at McCormick Place and 63rd Street that a few trains serve) that did not receive the new credit/debit card TVMs.
Photos 1-24: 12 June, 2016 on a visit by bicycle, 25-36 on a visit by automobile
