Proposal would see rail lines abandoned from Aurora to N. Vernon
CSX says train operation may cease in county
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

The familiar rumble of trains coming through Ripley County will come to a halt if the abandonment proposal set forth by CSX Transportation becomes a reality.

According to Meg Scheu, spokesperson for CSX Transportation, plans are to file the paperwork to request abandonment of the CSX rail line from Aurora to North Vernon sometime in June. "The plans will be filed with STB (Surface Transportation Board) in June and then it's up to them," she explained in a telephone interview from CSX Transportation's corporate headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida.

Scheu noted there are a variety of reasons why a rail line is abandoned, and noted that no customers would be affected by closing the 45-mile stretch from Aurora to North Vernon.

There are two high bridges on the tracks from Aurora to North Vernon, one near Osgood that is 130 feet tall and another near Nebraska that is 150 feet tall. When asked if the high cost of maintaining these bridges was a consideration in abandonment of the rail line, Scheu noted it wasn't in particular, but there were a number of reasons she didn't state.

The railroad has been a part of the lives of people in Ripley County, coming through the countryside and through the towns of Milan, Delaware, Osgood, and Holton, for many years. Matter of fact, that particular track has been in operation since 1853, according to Scheu. She said it has been owned by CSX since 1987.

Scheu noted that there are four freight trains a day coming through the county, two eastbound, and two westbound. She noted that these
trains carry a variety of cargo, some coal and grain, "but, most are carrying mixed merchandise."

Officials from the Town of Holton, discussed the closure of the rail line and sent a letter to CSX Trans
portation, expressing their concern that the tax monies presently paid by the railroad company would be passed on to the property taxpayer, having an economic impact on several townships through Ripley
County.

In response to the concern about the tax monies, Scheu noted that as long as CSX owns the rail line property, they will pay taxes according to state law.