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.