One often hears and reads the phrase “Nickel Plate” in Fishers.  Those of us living in Fishers for some time know what that means.  Many newcomers to our area may not.  An important event is happening here in May, and a bit of history is in order to put it all into context.

In the late 19th century, what we call Fishers today was known as “Fishers Switch” and later as “Fishers Station.”  The community now known as Fishers was originally created because of the Nickel Plate Rail Line that ran through the area.  The words “switch” and “station” were tied to the connection with that railroad.

The creation of the municipality we now call Fishers was only because of the Nickel Plate Rail line.  That’s why you see so many names with Nickel Plate.

The trail being developed in Fishers is called the Nickel Plate Trail because it is being constructed along the old rail location.  The rail line was used most recently by the Indiana State Fair Train that ended many years ago.  The tracks were not in the best of shape and at least one official inspection found the track unsafe.

It was a controversial decision to convert the old rail line into a trail.  Many local train enthusiasts used every legal and administrative avenue available to slow down or stop the trail and preserve the rails, but in the end the City of Fishers prevailed and the trail has been under construction, in sections, from 96th Street north to 141st Street.

There are parts of the trail already open and used by lots of people.  One of the most important sections of the trail is set to open Saturday, May 14th.

I have covered Scott Fadness during his time as town manager, then his tenure as mayor of our fair city.  When the city decided to build an underground tunnel for the trail underneath 116th Street, it required a closure of 116th Street at the old railroad tracks in order to construct the trail tunnel.  Fadness told me in a podcast at the time that few things keep him up at night, but the closure of 116th Street, a major traffic artery in downtown Fishers, caused him to lose some sleep.

But, 116th Street eventually opened.  Now the tunnel is nearly complete and there will be a public opening of the downtown portion of the Nickel Plate Trail, including the tunnel beneath 116th Street, set for Saturday, May 14th, 12noon to 4pm.

The mayor, along with Stephanie Perry of the city’s PR department, took a tour of the construction area early in the process.  The water table underneath downtown Fishers created some challenges for the contractor early in the project, but all is about done now and the tunnel will soon be ready for pedestrian traffic.

There will be an area of the trail called Monumental Stairs, with a built-in bike ramp that allows pedestrians and cyclists to access the trail at 116th Street and provides seating overlooking the trail-level plaza.  The city expects to have special events and community gatherings, including musical acts, at the Monumental Stairs location.  A pedestrian bridge above the tunnel exit on the north side of 116th Street connects the existing train platform to the new Nickel Plate Station plaza, which includes swings and other activations.

I detect some old wounds every time the Nickel Plate Trail is in the news.  I always receive a few comments when posting such stories, lamenting the demise of the rail tracks.

I get that, but there is a lot of support for the trail and people are voting with their feet and using parts of the Nickel Plate Trail already available.  Now, with the downtown section of the trail about to open, look for even more people to avail themselves of the trail.

The City of Fishers says there is coordination with the City of Indianapolis to develop the southern portion of the trail, between 96th Street and 106th Street.  The only thing holding that up is the availability of funding.