Group weighs north side commuter rail

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH/AP) - The group best-known for running excursion trains to the Indiana State Fair is considering adding trips to downtown Indianapolis along a route that planners want to use for a commuter rail system from the city's growing northern suburbs.

The Indiana Transportation Museum would need to extend tracks for about a dozen blocks north of downtown Indianapolis so that trains could go from its Noblesville station to near the Massachusetts Avenue business district.

"We're really just putting out our official feelers right now," museum board member Art Hall told the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Although the museum has over the years floated the idea of offering a rudimentary commuter service from Hamilton County to downtown Indianapolis, "we're looking at excursion possibilities only," Hall said.

The museum operates numerous engines and passenger cars, some more than a century old, on the 37-mile Nickel Plate corridor that goes as far north as Tipton. It offers several round trips a day between Fishers and the Indiana State Fairgrounds during the state fair in August.

Some commuters 24-Hour News 8 spoke with said the lack of potential service to and from the office wouldn’t be a major drawback.

“One of the things that sometimes stops people from coming downtown is that there's no parking, or the parking is tough. If I could just ride down here, have fun and ride right back, that would be awesome! I think a lot of people would take advantage of that,” said Christian Painter.

“I drive down a lot, and it’s a hassle,” agreed Lion Fludd, standing next to his car on Massachusetts Avenue. “To be able to just come to a location, get on a train and it just drops me in the center of town, it would be a lot more relaxing.”

Fludd and Painter also agreed new transportation options could entice shoppers to open their wallets, boosting the downtown economy.

“I'd want to come here more and it would give me a chance to spend more money, shop and enjoy time with friends and family,” Fludd said.

But, making the project a reality could be tricky.

Brenda Myers, executive director of the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said estimates for the route to reach downtown Indianapolis range from $20 million to $30 million.

That would include the cost of new track, numerous crossing upgrades and the construction of passenger shelters.

The volunteer organization has annual revenue of around $500,000, largely from fees it collects for trips. Potential sources of funding for the project are federal transportation grants, corporate support or other private fundraising.

But, some worry taxpayers could be on the hook for some of the project, too.

“With any kind of commuter program, somebody is going to be paying for it eventually, whether it's the people who [ride] it, city taxpayers, the state--whatever it is, people will still be paying for it in the end in one fashion or another. Parking is very crowded, especially if you want to get right in close to the shops. But, if they can spend the $20 million and fix the parking problem in one way or another, then I don’t think they don't need the train,” commuter Devin Stewart told 24-Hour News 8.

The museum's plans could also be complicated if a proposal advances from the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority for a commuter rail line using that same rail corridor, which could cost $1 billion.

Authority board President Christine Altman said the museum's investment could be short-lived if the modern commuter rail line were to be built using modern diesel passenger cars and tracks to allow for faster speeds.

"It's not an inexpensive ticket if we're going to replace (the track) later," she said.

Ehren Bingaman, executive director of the transportation authority, said there would be a risk in alienating residents over the train route with things such as older locomotives that aren't as quiet as modern units.

"You don't want to start low-end," Bingaman said. "You need to do it well-straight out of the gate."