Plymouth City Counil supports NIPRA request of financial support for grant match for Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Assoc.

Jack Daniels, the President of the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association (NIPRA), gave a brief presentation to the Plymouth City Council on Monday night.

NIPRA is a nonprofit organization formed at the request of the Fort Wayne City Council with the goal of restoring passenger rail service between Fort Wayne and Chicago.  He said the prime line passes through Plymouth and other cities along the route, including Warsaw, Valparaiso, and Gary.

Since 2009, the project also aimed to provide service to Columbus, OH; however, in 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration opened a grant opportunity called the Corridor Identification and Development Program. The program is a three-step process, with the first step being 100% funded.  NIPRA was selected and awarded a $500,000 grant by the Federal Railroad Association, along with 68 other projects nationwide.   

Daniels said one of the advantages of this project is that it is on an existing right-of-way.  It is the CSX-owned rail line, formerly the Pennsylvania Railroad. Another advantage is that it is a long, straight corridor of track, and the right-of-way is largely intact.

Daniels said the project, which is underway today, extends all the way from Chicago to Pittsburgh, and step one is expected to be finished within weeks.    

When the Federal Rail Association gives NIPRA the nod, they will move to the second step, which is 90% funded by a federal grant and requires a 10% match.  There is no competitiveness or qualification for the second step. NIPRA is asking communities along the tract to pledge financial support for the program to attain the required match funds.

Step two is the Service Development Plan, which will examine where stops might occur, how often they will happen, what engineering services are needed, and support services such as rail stations, sidings, signaling, crossings, upgrades, and an economic development study at a cost estimate of $7 to $8 million. Step two is anticipated to take three years to complete, and upon completion of the process, the Federal Railroad Administration will allow the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association to proceed to step three. 

Step three, which is pre-engineering and has an 80-20 split between the federal government and NIPRA.

Daniels said their goal in the fundraising efforts is $450,000, which covers Indiana’s share of the project for both the 10% and 20% match.  He said almost 50% of the entire state’s population would be within 30 minutes or less of boarding a train and going somewhere. He said, “Indiana has not ever been that mobile in the world of transportation, and that’s a pretty exciting thing.” He said it makes counties and cities more desirable and livable.  

The suggested donation from the City of Plymouth was $25,000 each year for the next three years. Daniels said if the project doesn’t move forward, the pledge would be void.  He went on to say that NIPRA anticipates support from Fort Wayne, as well as the Allen County Commissioners, within the next few weeks.  He said that showing the Federal Rail Administration that NIPRA has achieved its $450,000 goal early in the fourth quarter of this year will allow them to start step two right after the first of 2026.

The Plymouth Common Council unanimously approved a three-year pledge of $25,000 per year to enhance connectivity in northern Indiana, benefiting our kids and grandkids.