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<p>In 1869, the Pekin, Lincoln and Decatur Railway (PL&D) began construction on a new railroad line, extending 67 miles from Decatur, Illinois to Pekin, Illinois. The railroad completed the line in 1871. In 1872, the Decatur, Sullivan & Mattoon Railroad (DS&M) constructed an additional 40 miles of railroad from Decatur to Mattoon, Illinois. The PL&D and DS&M became part of the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railway (PD&E) in 1879. The PD&E owned a handful of railroads in Illinois and Indiana. By 1900, the PD&E was bankrupt, and the line would be sold to Illinois Central Railroad (IC). This line formed the northern portion of the Peoria to Evansville line for the IC, connecting to IC mainlines at Decatur and Mattoon. By the 20th Century, the IC was a respected railroad, operating an extensive railroad network through the central United States. This line continued to serve as a secondary line for the IC, mainly connecting other IC lines and larger cities in central Illinois. In 1972, the IC merged with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad (GM&O) to form the Illinois Central Gulf (ICG). In 1988, the ICG was reorganized as the Illinois Central Railroad (IC). In 1998, IC was purchased by the Canadian National Railway (CN), the current owner of the line. Today, CN continues to operate the Peoria Subdivision between Decatur and Pekin, where it has trackage rights into Peoria.<br></p>
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