Indiana Short Line Loses Lease on Track

An Indiana short line railroad will cease operations on Sept. 20 after losing its lease of track owned by Norfolk Southern.

The Connersville & New Castle, a Class III carrier, has leased track between New Castle and Beesons, on a former Nickel Plate Road branch.

NS canceled the lease and said it planned to assumed common carrier service obligations on Sept. 20.

However, NS also indicated in a recent filing with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board that it planned to contract with another short line, the New Castle Southern, to operate the line.

The C&NC began operating the 21-mile route between Connersville and New Castle in 1997, taking it over from Indiana Hi Rail.

At its peak, Indiana Hi Rail operated 461 miles of track in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. It filed for bankruptcy protection 1994 and it assets were sold piecemeal.

Officially, the Connersville & New Castle is known as the C&NC and uses the reporting marks CNUR.

Tags: Connersville & New Castle, Indiana Hi Rail, Indiana short line railroads, Nickel Plate Road, Norfolk Southern, U.S. Surface Transportation Board