(NOTE: Commentaries from Fred Swift are posted here as part of a partnership between LarryInFishers.com and The Hamilton County Reporter newspaper.)
by
Fred Swift
Hamilton County Reporter
The only proposal for the future of the Nickel Plate Railroad
which apparently matches the desires of local officials is a plan
submitted by the Hamilton County Hamilton County Visitors and Convention
Commission.
The Hoosier Heritage Port Authority, owners of the Nickel Plate tracks, had asked for proposals from groups interested in operating on the rail line. Four proposals were received by the port authority’s deadline.
The future of the railroad is complicated by a federal law suit filed last week
by the Indiana Transportation Museum claiming their rights have been violated
because they are no longer allowed to use the railway.
The future of the historic railroad has become a controversial topic in Noblesville
and other communities through which the Nickel Plate runs. No trains have run since
March of 2016 when the port authority suspended the museum’s permit to use the
tracks due to safety concerns. The museum, headquartered at Forest Park, had operated
excursion trains for the past 20 years including the popular Fairtrain.
The four proposals being considered by the port authority came from Indianapolis Metro Railway Company, the Hoosier Heritage Railroad Inc. of Fishers, the
Transportation Museum and the Visitor and Convention Bureau.
Only the Visitor and Convention plan proposes to continue rail service north from
Noblesville to Tipton while turning the rail bed from Noblesville south into a hiking
and bicycle trail. Local officials in Fishers, Noblesville and county government have
generally favored this idea although as controversy grew, they have said no decision
would be made until more information is gathered. The other three groups want to
keep the rails intact to Indianapolis.
Officially, the port authority will rank the proposals by July 1, and announce a
decision at an undetermined date thereafter. That date could be delayed indefinitely
by the lawsuit as there is no certainty when the suit will be adjudicated.
In the meantime, of course, no trains on the Nickel Plate.