The City of Fishers. in planning the Nickel Plate Trail,  decided not to pursue a plan to construct a trail and a train operation at the same time along the Nickel Plate.  Proponents of preserving the line as a train operation have argued the city did not properly consider allowing both a trail and a train to operate simultaneously along the Nickel Plate.

Friday afternoon, the City of Fishers released a study conducted by the Indianapolis engineering firm of Butler, Fairman & Seufert, dated February 11, 2019.  That assessment shows that there were two possible options in combining a train & trail along the Nickel Plate.  One option would cost an additional $20.5 million over what the trail alone would cost.  The other option would add $39.8 million over the expense of just a trail.

“Due to the continued inaccuracies shared to the media by train advocate groups, the City is responding to their assertions that alternative designs were not considered through a feasibilitystudy,” according to a City of Fishers news release.  “For purposes of the study, the City of Fishers and its retained consultant analyzed the rail corridor to determine the feasibility of keeping the existing Nickel Plate Rail in place throughout the corridor, with the new trail being placed alongside.”

The engineering study specified what would need to be done with the $20.5 million additional cost option.  According to the city, this includes:

• $16,900,000 for 82 property acquisitions (whole or partial) along the rail corridor* with 13 buildings to be demolished
• $1,200,000 for the addition of a 6-foot safety fence between the trail and the tracks
• $300,000 for retention wall construction
• $900,000 for additional pedestrian bridges over major waterway

The city added that all this would be contingent on the “willingness of adjacent property owners to accept the encroachment of the trail onto their property, and for some land owners and businesses willing to relocate.”

You can access the full engineering study document at this link.