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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA lesser-known, two-mile rail line on Indianapolis’ southwest side is being abandoned by CSX Transportation, creating speculation about trail conversion.
The Craven Industrial Track can be found within the industrial area that includes the Indianapolis International Airport, the Rolls-Royce Training Center and the Lilly Technology Center. Although there are no current formal plans to convert the abandoned rail line to a trail, CSX’s July 2023 decision to stop operating on the track has set off discussions between attorneys and property owners who are watching for next steps.
Under state law, the right of way for a rail line that is abandoned is expected to revert back to the residents that own the land the rail is on, according to Lewis Rice attorney Lindsay Brinton. Brinton’s St. Louis-based law firm is planning to hold free sessions for property owners to explain their rights regarding the land if it is used for a trails project.
Indianapolis, which has previously used the process of railbanking to create trails like the Monon Trail and Nickel Plate Trail, is “potentially interested in acquiring” the right of way for a future rail-to-trail conversion, but hasn’t begun official discussions with CSX to purchase it, according to Department of Metropolitan Development spokesman Lucas González.
CSX first notified the city that it would be decommissioning the rail line last month, he told IBJ.
González said that the city is currently unaware of any plans from the state to use the abandoned rail line.
Companies who constructed railroad tracks for rail lines were often granted easements for the land on property that was intended to revert back to landowners when the railroad was no longer used.
Law firms have seized the opportunity in rail-to-trail developments, representing residents in cases like one in which the federal government was ordered to pay out $7.6 million to 168 property owners along the Nickel Plate Trail. Lewis Rice was not the firm in that case.
As for the Craven Industrial Track, Brinton said about 30 property owners could be entitled to compensation if the track is converted to a trail. She said notices have been sent to all of the property owners who could be affected, but Lewis Rice cannot be sure that all contact information is current and correct.
Lewis Rice attorneys have informational meetings scheduled this week on the rights of property owners, with one Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Hyatt Place Indianapolis Airport at 5500 West Bradbury Ave.
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The city’s street grid was never properly laid out on the south & west sides. But there is plenty of rail right of way. It’s critical for the growth of the south & west sides that rail ROW is repurposed for trails and/or transit ASAP after it becomes available.
So hopefully this happens sooner rather than later.
Property owners with RR company easements get such a good deal out of rail-to-trail conversions. They get paid up-front, then their property values increase. Hopefully an incentive good enough to accelerate this.
Turns out that living adjacent to public right of way is a huge asset as long as freight trains or car traffic aren’t causing noise problems.
Well said, Robert
I wonder what the real plan is, because there’s no reason to put a trail in an industrial park.
Whatever the plan is if it comes to fruition it provides a connection that can link into Mars Hill. Also this crosses the Eagle Creek/White River Trail and ends near where Morris St was recently upgraded to include an off street path. It would be far from a stray trail in an industrial complex. If this happens being able to access a pathway from off Maywood Ave would be a huge win for a neighborhood that deserves a win in infrastructure investment.