Hamilton County: Transit planners want to put commuters on the fast track

By William Fouts, Noblesville Daily Times

wfouts@noblesvilledailytimes.com

A commuter rail line between Hamilton County and downtown Indianapolis could be in place by 2012. A standing-room-only crowd packed the Fishers Town Hall Wednesday to hear and comment on recommendations by transit planners.

A study presented by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization recommends a diesel light-rail system along the existing Nickel Plate corridor between Fishers and Union Station in Indianapolis. The $160 million system could be built in three to five years, coming online just as work begins on the major reconstruction of Interstate 69.

Planners say light-rail is the most cost effective and quickest option to implement. The right of way is already government owned. Additional land would need to be acquired for stations along the route. A bridge and line extension would have to be built between 10th Street in Indianapolis and  Union Station to complete the line.

In addition to offering relief to gas-strapped commuters and easing congestion on I-69, trains operating diesel engines capable of burning biodiesel fuel would improve air quality, proponents say. Commute times could be more productive and less stressful for riders.

Many in the crowd shared Noblesville resident Rick Cuttill's sentiments. He said mass transit is long overdue. He regularly rides the IndyGo express bus from Fishers to Indianapolis.

"My concern is that we're looking at too little too late," he said.

MPO Manager Mike Dearing said planners hope to secure federal funding for a significant portion of the building costs. However, state and local money will probably need to be in place before the federal government commits to any funding, said Fishers Town Manager Gary Huff.

 "We have to prove that we have the ridership, and that it is a viable system," Huff said.

The system would initially run on a single track with trains departing every 30 minutes during peak hours. Future plans would call for a second set of tracks to be built with trains running simultaneously in both directions every 15 minutes during morning and afternoon commutes. As many as 19 stations could be built along the route.

Jack Gray, whose backyard is adjacent to the Nickel Plate line, worries the proposed system isn't robust enough to serve the growing demand and will end up disrupting more people than would benefit from mass transit.

 "If we try to move, who's going to buy my house," Gray said.

However, studies from other cities that have implemented new mass transit systems have shown property values for homes and businesses near mass transit lines have increased as much as 25 percent, said Ehren Bingaman, executive director of the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority. Moreover, he said mass transit can make the region more competitive and attract new investment to the area. He said Nashville's light rail system attracted significant investment along its route.

 "They had a quarter of billion, that's with a B, in new investment before they even ran the first train," he said. "That's a heck of a return on investment."

The MPO will continue taking public comment. A final report is expected by August.