Indy eyes new rail trail on west side
INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — Westsiders could be the next group to benefit from the growing popularity of rail trails in Indianapolis.
CSX Transportation, the company that operates the railroad, filed a petition in October with the federal Surface Transportation Board to abandon a 1.8-mile rail line that runs along Kentucky Avenue, from the Eli Lilly campus to the Rolls-Royce Training Center.
Under a federal law known as the National Trail Systems Act, abandoned railroad lines can be converted to public parks and recreational trails.
A spokesperson for the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development said the city is interested in discussing acquiring the tract, though it has not had any conversations with CSX to date.
The unused rail line runs through a heavily industrial section of the city, intersecting with the Eagle Creek Trail at South Belmont Avenue.
Richard Vonnegut, president of Indiana Trails, a network of nonprofits that advocate for trail use in Indiana, said the group is excited about the possibility of another hiking and biking trail in Indianapolis.
“This is exciting because this trail provides a chance for hikers, bicyclists and ADA-people to traverse parts of southwestern Indianapolis and connect with trails that run west to Plainfield, south to Bloomington and into the eastern parts of Indianapolis,” Vonnegut said.
Property owners with land adjacent to the former railroad right-of-way may be eligible for compensation, said Lindsay Brinton, an attorney with the Midwest law firm Lewis Rice.
The firm, which represented some property owners with land along the Monon Trail and Nickel Plate Trail, has reached out to landowners to let them know they can file a claim against the federal government.
“We want them to know what they can and can’t do,” Brinton told Mirror Indy. “The clock is ticking on their right to compensation.”
About 30 property owners — mostly commercial business owners — would be affected, Brinton said.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.