Ameren Missouri says it is currently working with the state Department of Natural Resources to turn the old Rock Island railroad bed across central Missouri into a public biking/hiking path.
A spokesman with Ameren Missouri said, "(We) recently filed letters for proposed abandonment of 144 miles of existing rail bed with the appropriate government agencies."
The old Rock Island Line Railroad corridor runs from Kansas City to near St. Louis. In the Lake Area, the abandoned rail bed passes through both Morgan and Miller counties. Over the past few years, officials with both counties, as well as the cities of Versailles and Eldon, have been working to have the abandoned railbed turned into a biking/hiking trail.
When the Rock Island Lines railroad ceased operation in the mid-20th century, the railroad corridor was sold to the Missouri Central Railroad Company. After that entity halted operations, the railroad became the property of Ameren Missouri.
In July, Ameren announced it was seeking bids on the abandoned railroad corridor. The Rails to Trails Conservancy put in a bid.
Later that month, a group calling itself Missouri Rock Island Trail communities presented a petition with more than 1,200 signatures, asking the DNR to help persuade Ameren to sell the property to Rails to Trails.
On Thursday, the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation posted on its website that Ameren had plans to turn the corridor over to the State Parks Division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for use as a bike path.
In confirming the statement, the Ameren spokesman said, "Ameren Missouri recognizes the high level of interest in this project. In fact, we recently completed work with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on a five-mile, rail-to-trail conversion in western Missouri. We are also currently working with the DNR on a 40-plus mile conversion, which should be ready for conveyance to the DNR before the end of the year."
The spokesman was referring to a section of the old Rock Island Lines corridor near Kansas City that the utility has already turned over to the DNR as well as a second section near St. Louis that is currently in the process of being transferred to the state parks division.
According to the statement on the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation website, the plan is to eventually turn all 200-plus miles of the former Rock Island Railroad corridor into a bike path, connect it to the Katy Trail and eventually to other bike paths in Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.