It’s official. The Kellar Branch will remain a rail line for the foreseeable future. The Surface Transportation Board (STB) formally granted Central Illinois Railroad’s request to withdraw its discontinuance petition. That puts the final nail in the coffin of the ill-conceived plan to convert the Kellar Branch to a hiking/biking trail.

At the same time, the STB took another step back in time and reopened the case of whether Pioneer Railcorp should have been kicked off the Kellar Branch by the City two years ago. The STB found in favor of the City back in 2005 in that case and forced Pioneer off the line. But since that decision was made, the STB states, “Circumstances have changed.”

We now have evidence that Carver Lumber objects to the Cities’ plans and is dissatisfied with the service it is receiving from CIRY [Central Illinois Railroad]. According to Carver Lumber, the service is slower and more expensive, and has been subject to delays and interruptions. … [T]he Board specifically predicated its August 2005 Decision on the Cities’ statement that they would maintain the existing level of service to the satisfaction of the users of that service. In these circumstances, it is appropriate to reconsider our August 2005 Decision now that Carver Lumber’s evidence has cast doubt on the representation we had previously relied on.

Now this is quite a predicament for the City. The City’s whole purpose for kicking Pioneer off the line was so that they could turn it into a hiking trail. They fought a bitter fight with Pioneer and won. Then they signed an agreement with CIRY that they would provide service over the Kellar Branch just until a new spur was built from the Union Pacific rail line west of Pioneer Park. After that, according to the agreement, CIRY would petition the STB to discontinue service on the Kellar Branch so the rails could be torn up and the right-of-way turned into a walking path.

Well, CIRY never provided service over the Kellar Branch (causing great expense to Carver Lumber), and now they’ve withdrawn their petition to discontinue service on the branch so they can continue to use it themselves. Essentially, they’ve screwed the City twice.

Now, since the STB has reopened the whole issue of whether or not Pioneer or CIRY should be the carrier on the line, the City has to make a decision. Will they continue to fight to have Pioneer thrown off the line just so CIRY — who has royally screwed them twice — can run the line and reap the profits? Or do they now withdraw their request to kick Pioneer off the line and screw CIRY, but end up with Pioneer — the company that arguably was the key factor in scuttling their walking path plans — running the line instead?

Ha ha ha! This is too good. Who will the City choose? Park-District-plan-busting Pioneer or Double-crossing CIRY?

I, of course, vote for Pioneer, since they are the more competent of the two carriers, are locally owned, and have shown a commitment to the community (e.g., they’ve offered to help build a trail next to the rail line and provide transit/tourist service on the line). CIRY was a hired gun that endangered Peoria citizens with their runaway train, cost Carver Lumber truckloads of money, and double-crossed the City. The City owes them nothing.

The most important thing is that the Kellar Branch has effectively been saved from destruction, and now, hopefully, the City can move towards turning this asset into a money-maker — either through a long-term lease or an outright sale — and then reap the benefits of increased freight traffic (read: new businesses & jobs) along the line. If they sell it to Pioneer, maybe they’ll even get a trail next to the rail — a win-win!