IAIS/NS Filing Abandonment of the entire Grimes line and Clive spur

[SirKrunch]

Wow. This blindsided me checking Iowa's Regulatory Authority and Abandonment page today. I had no idea that this was filed in April, let alone even in the works...
Sighting declining traffic, poor track conditions that would cost too much to repair, and that the two main shippers have already switched some of their shipments to truck traffic.
Both railroads write off other railroads being interesting in taking over the line. But wouldn't this be a prime line for a class 3 to operate, regenerate lost traffic, and also build back some shippers that IAIS drove off?
Of course, the trail groups are salivating at getting their grubby paws on the ROW. 20 years ago there were studies run to look at commuter rail in the metro. This was actually one of the prime corridors looked at. Unfortunately due to the shift in Iowa's political landscape the powers that be were less and less progressive enough to invest in better mass transit and only saw trails, trails, trails...
https://www.stb.gov/proceedings-actions ... _290_424_X

[Hopen111]

this is truly a bruh moment.

Also I have thankfully already documented every crossing on this line so we have full details on each signal, and with videos for all of them.

[SirKrunch]

What strikes me as being really off here, is that it's a filing on an active track. It's not as if the line has been sitting dormant. This isn't an adverse abandonment filing but with the current circumstances, it almost feels like one. Namely because of the normal condition of requiring 2 years of no traffic moving over the line. Obviously that doesn't apply when there's video documenting normal service still happening recently.

Also throw in there are still three active shippers on the line, and one of them is now considering moving out of the Des Moines area if they lose service, because of how much more using an IAIS transload facility and trucking from there to their current location is.
https://www.businessrecord.com/proposed ... -business/

[SirKrunch]

Still running the line, even after filing discontinuance/abandoment.

Oopsie!