A new operator for the Nickel Plate railroad line could by chosen by July or August. However, since there is no operator at this time, there will be no Indiana State Fair Train in 2017. The Hoosier Heritage Port Authority, which has oversight and maintenance responsibilities for the 37 miles of rail line, which extends from Tipton to downtown Indianapolis, will begin the process of legal advertising the details about requests for proposal from interested parties.
Authority President Mike Obergfell said the request for proposal will contain a scoring sheet to evaluate each submission. The owners of the rail line – Fishers, Noblesville and Hamilton County – will then interview all the candidates. Obergfell expects the operator will be selected at the next Authority meeting scheduled for Monday, July 10th. However, if the interviews continue through July, a special meeting of the Authority will be scheduled in August.
“Obviously, the time is short,” said Obergfell. “We’d like to get an operator back online as soon as possible. Our owners have some other interests that they’re trying to work out. So, the sooner the better.”
Fishers and Noblesville have proposed transforming the Nickel Plate rail line within their city limits into a biking and hiking trail.
An independent inspection of the rail raised safety concerns about the condition of the track, resulting in the cancellation of the State Fair Train in 2016, which ran for many years between the fairgrounds and Fishers. In response to a question from the audience, Obergfell said there will not be an operator in place in time to operate the State Fair Train in 2017.
In response to another question from the audience, Obergfell said the request for proposal includes the entire 37 mile line.
In another matter, the Authority will be losing Executive Director Rhonda Klopfenstein, who has been in that job for 17 years. Members of the Port Authority will now be searching for a new executive director. Klopfenstein is resigning due to her husband’s job reassignment to Tennessee.