Rock Island Line Corridor Facts
BACKGROUND - The Rock Island Line Corridor is a 144.3-miles section of the former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad that runs from Beaufort, MO to Windsor, MO. It is owned by Missouri Central Railroad, a subsidiary of Ameren. In 2014, Missouri Central Railroad began the process to abandon the line in two segments. 1) Between mileposts 263.5 and 262.906 near Pleasant Hill in Cass Co. 2) Between milepost 215.325 near Windsor in Pettis County and milepost 71.6 near Beaufort in Franklin County. Missouri Central Railroad has concluded salvage operations in the corridor to remove railroad ties, tracks, signs and other remnants of railroad operations.
PROPERTY TRANSFER and TRAIL DEVELOPMENT - The National Trails System Act, 16 U.S.C. 1247 (d) and 49 C.F.R. 1152.29, established a process known as "railbanking." Railbanking is a voluntary agreement between a railroad company and a trail agency to use an out of service corridor as a trail until a railroad might need the corridor again for rail service. Because a railbanked corridor is not considered abandoned, it can be sold, leased or donated to a trail manager. In response to a Missouri Department of Natural Resources request, with concurrence from Missouri Central Railroad, the Surface Transportation Board, a federal adjudicatory board responsible for economic regulatory oversight of railroads, issued a Notice of Interim Trial Use Feb. 25, 2015. The Notice of Interim Trail Use authorized the department to negotiate with Missouri Central Railroad to acquire the right of way for use as a trail under the National Trails System Act. If the parties conclude negotiations, the department and the railroad may sign an Interim Trail use Agreement, and the department's Division of State Parks would then be responsible for managing the railbanked corridor.
TIMEFRAMES - The current Notice of Interim Trail Use requires the parties to conclude negotiations by Feb. 21, 2019. Missouri Central Railroad has completed salvage of the rails and ties, and the Division of State Parks is Finalizing due diligence procedures, which has included examining the state of title, assessing the integrity of the structures within the corridor, and conducting an environmental assessment of the corridor. Converting the corridor into a trail would be a significant undertaking, and it is essential to gain a further understanding of the costs, liabilities and benefits of this potential project. Additionally, as has been the experience with the Katy Trail, developing a trail and its ongoing operation and maintenance is a large responsibility that requires significant financial resources. The project may also require additional funding sources that have yet to be identified.
TRAIL DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION and OPERATION - Experience and figures gathered during the construction of the Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail in 2016, the preliminary estimate by the Division of State Parks is that it could cost between $65 million and $85 million to fully complete a trail. Because it would not be possible to complete the trail all at once, trail development would likely occur in sections over several years, as each section of the corridor has difference features and challenges. The Division of State Parks has not yet identified the resources necessary to build the trail. This project's funding needs will certainly require additional parties (private, public, corporate) to make a substantial financial commitment. Finding a funding solution is a significant factor in the decision-making process. Based upon the current operation costs of the Katy Trail and the Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail, we estimate that it could cost $6,949 per mile/per year to operate the new trail based on Katy Trail State Park.
For full story please see the Versailles City Hall Facebook Page or visit https://mostateparks.com/rockislandlinecorridor.