The Madison
Connection
Despite cost to taxpayers, railroad carries
little traffic...
Madison officials insist that line lures industry,
jobs
By DAVID McGINTRY
The Courier-Journal
Madison, Ind. - As railroads go, the publicly owned Madison Railroad
doesn't go far - only about 26 miles from this lovely Ohio River community
to North Vernon, where it connects with a major rail line run by CSX Corp.
But those 26 miles, say Madison officials, are vital
to the city's efforts to lure and keep major businesses.
That short stretch is also something else - a multimillion-dollar
drain on the public purses.
The railroad, which is lightly used for transporting
goods and has been operated as a public line for 19 years, has never broken
even. Every year it loses money, and every year it is kept alive
by contributions and grants from local, state and federal governments.
The railroad has become a public issue in Madison,
where William Helton, a former railroad official who is now a consultant
on short-line railroads, has circulated a petition calling for removal
of the railroad's management and board of directors because of the money
the line has lost.
In the last year, two of the railroad's five employees
have quit. One of them, Jeff Lockridge, said he and other employees
had begun to doubt the usefulness of the railroad.
For Years we've wondered, "why are we still here?"
Madison officials defend the management of the railroad.
Mayor Al Huntington, who appoints the nine members
of the board that oversees the railroad, said he has confidence in the
operation. "I think they do a good job," he said.