The operators of the suspended Indiana State Fair train have devised a plan for expanded service that would feature year-round trains rolling between suburban Noblesville and downtown Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Star reports the plan by rail enthusiasts at the Indiana Transportation Museum comes as elected officials in Hamilton County prepare to convert the Nickel Plate railroad, which had carried the fair train for 30 years, into a greenway trail. The $9 million project was announced Jan. 30.
Museum officials say they favor putting the train alongside the tracks, and will offer their alternative option at public hearings this month. Officials from the Fort Wayne Historical Society will be joining them.
The society's vice president, Kelly Lynch, says Fishers and Noblesville will squander a tourism asset if they get rid of the tracks.