http://columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=20463
Excerpted:
“Expanding the Katy Trail would be a great deal for the citizens of Missouri,” said spokesman Spence Jackson. “It’s something that current and future generations of Missourians could get a lot of enjoyment from.”
Ameren owns the stretch of the Rock Island corridor from Windsor — a town 15 miles north of Clinton that also sits along the Katy Trail — to the Kansas City suburb of Pleasant Hill. Union Pacific Railroad Co. owns the unused Rock Island section from Pleasant Hill to Kansas City.
An Ameren spokesman declined to discuss any potential settlement with the state, as did a spokesman for Attorney General Jay Nixon. And a Union Pacific spokesman in Omaha, Neb., suggested the company is not eager to hand over its investment.
“We recognize the benefits of recreational interests and, where feasible, right of way is evaluated for these purposes,” said Union Pacific’s Jim Barnes.
“However, we are in a position of having to ensure our rights of way are being used to maximize our ability to handle the explosive growth and demand for rail service.”