End Of The Line: Hoosier State Rail Line To Shut Down April 1

Updated Friday at 5:25 p.m.

The Hoosier State Passenger Rail Line, running between Chicago and Indianapolis, will end April 1 because of new federal requirements the Indiana Department of Transportation says will be too costly.  INDOT Commissioner Karl Browning calls the federal decision “insane.”

The Federal Railroad Administration’s decision defines Indiana as the railroad carrier.  With that comes new requirements, including potential liability for the state of up to $200 million per incident.

State officials say they didn’t anticipate what they call the “perplexing” federal decision.  And while Indiana could pursue court action against the FRA, INDOT legal counsel Lori Torres says that won’t stop the line from shutting down.

“A judicial appeal has no possible chance of concluding before April 1,” Torres said.

Commissioner Karl Browning says INDOT won’t pursue legal action in the next two weeks but won’t rule out any options in the long term. 

In a statement, Amtrak, which operates the Hoosier State Line, says it’s in the best interests of everyone if the line keeps running, and has offered to continue service on a month-to-month basis until a long-term deal is reached.  But INDOT says it’s the FRA’s decision that’s halting service, not Amtrak.  

Original post

Service on the Amtrak line running between Indianapolis and Chicago will end April 1.  The Indiana Department of Transportation made the announcement Friday.

The Hoosier State Rail Line’s future had been in some doubt for months because of funding issues.  But it wasn’t those concerns that led to INDOT’s announcement. Instead, new federal requirements imposed on the state are the cause. 

A recent Federal Railroad Administration decision defined the state of Indiana as a railroad carrier, and INDOT says that designation comes with new requirements. Those include potential liability for the state of up to $200 million per incident, mandated new hirings, and classifying state employees as rail employees meaning they’d be subject to new employment rules. 

INDOT says it unsuccessfully urged federal officials to reconsider their decision.