Since 2004 this section has been leased to and operated by RailAmerica's Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad (CFE), with NS retaining trackage rights.
[5] From Crestline west to Fort Wayne, the Ohio and Indiana Railroad opened the line in 1853[4] and 1854.
[9] The line was subleased to the Pennsylvania Company on April 1, 1871,[10] which operated it until January 1, 1918, when the lease was reassigned to the PRR.
After the breakup of Conrail in 1999, CSX acquired Conrail's portion of the line from Crestline to Fort Wayne and NS's portion of the line west of Fort Wayne, giving CSX a second route to Chicago.
Norfolk Southern utilized their trackage rights heavily during the first year or so after the Conrail split; however, as infrastructure improved on the former New York Central and former Nickel Plate Road Chicago lines, the need for trackage rights decreased.
[14] In the potential future, an Amtrak route running from Chicago to Fort Wayne up to 4 round trips daily has grown exponentially in support in recent years.