A federal judge ruled that more than 150 Missouri landowners should receive compensation for property seized for the Rock Island Line corridor. The compensation, if awarded, will be coming from the federal government.
The state took ownership of the 144-mile long corridor stretching from Windsor to Beaufort in December 2021. The land housed the former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad corridor and will soon be developed into a trail system for Missouri State Parks.
National Trails System Act went into effect for the Rock Island Line corridor
The landowners’ property was seized because of the National Trails System Act, which authorizes abandoned railroad lines to be converted to public parks, according to Lewis Rice LLC.