IN THE NEWS
North Judson Purchases Portion of CSX Rail Line
[STATEHOUSE - July 29, 2004] - State Representative Steve Heim, R-Culver, announced today that a span of the CSX rail line, serving the communities of North Judson, Union Mills, LaCrosse, and Malden, was purchased yesterday by a group led by the town of North Judson. The 33 miles of railroad in Starke, Porter and LaPorte Counties were purchased by the town in cooperation with a coalition comprised of state, local, and county governments, as well as the LaPorte County Co-Op, the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, and other private investors.
The town received a Transportation Enhancement Grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation. This particular grant is noteworthy in many respects: it is the first grant of this type used to preserve a rail line and the $1.5 million amount exceeds the usual grant amount of $1 million. It normally takes 3 years to secure this type of grant; however through efforts of the coalition the time was reduced to nine months.
"Rural Indiana has suffered economically during the recession, and losing access to America's rail network would have been a serious blow to North Judson's efforts to create a healthy industrial climate," Rep. Heim said. "Because of the hard work and team effort put out by this group, however, a potentially vibrant piece of American culture has been saved. The continued existence of the line promises to be a boon for industry, recreation, and community in the town of North Judson and Northwest Indiana as a whole."
"Guy Gardin and the members of the North Judson Town Council, and Mark Knebel and the board members of the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum are to be commended for their willingness to take the lead in acquiring this railroad and preserving this vital piece of infrastructure. The LaPorte County Co-op also made a significant financial contribution to the purchase of this line, without which the project would not have been possible."
Starke, LaPorte and Porter County officials were all involved in raising the capital needed to acquire the line. In addition to these counties, both state and federal elected officials were involved in helping negotiate the purchase and secure funding. Members of the Northwest Indiana Delegation of the Indiana General Assembly, as well as Senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh, petitioned the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C. to allow the town to purchase the line at a fair price.