Indiana Rail Road
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad transportation |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Thomas Hoback |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis , United States |
Area served | Indiana, Illinois, (formerly Kentucky) |
Key people | Thomas Hoback (founder, former CEO) |
| Products | Freight rail transport (coal, appliances, grain, plastics, aggregates, food products) |
| Owner | CSX Transportation (majority owner) |
| Parent | CSX Transportation |
| Website | www |
The Indiana Rail Road (INRD) is a United States Class II railroad that primarily operates on former Illinois Central Railroad tracks extending from Newton, Illinois to Indianapolis, Indiana, spanning roughly . This route, referred to as the Indianapolis Subdivision, comprises the majority of the former IC/ICG corridor between Indianapolis and Effingham, Illinois, with Canadian National Railway maintaining ownership of the segment between Newton and Effingham. Additionally, INRD possesses a former Milwaukee Road line running from Terre Haute to Burns City, Indiana, along with trackage rights reaching into Chicago, Illinois. The railroad no longer provides service to Louisville, Kentucky, or the Port of Indiana at Jeffersonville through its previous haulage arrangement with the Louisville and Indiana Railroad.
Overview
Established in 1986 by entrepreneur and founder Thomas Hoback, who stepped down as CEO in 2015, INRD’s headquarters are situated in downtown Indianapolis. The parent company is predominantly owned by CSX Transportation.
INRD broadened its operations in 2006 by acquiring the former Milwaukee Road/Soo Line Railroad Latta Subdivision from Canadian Pacific Railway, which runs between Terre Haute and Bedford, Indiana—now designated as the Chicago Subdivision—and intersects the Indianapolis Subdivision at Linton. This expansion increased the railroad’s total route mileage to about , including trackage rights over CSX lines allowing access to Chicago and Louisville. The company also operates remaining segments of the Monon Railroad around Bloomington and maintains classification yards in Indianapolis (Senate Avenue Terminal), Palestine (Illinois), and Jasonville (Indiana). The Jasonville yard additionally serves as the primary locomotive maintenance center.
INRD’s core business strategy centers on transporting coal from Indiana mines to power plants located along its network. Other significant commodities include appliances, grain, plastics, aggregates, and food items. Key customers consist of utility companies such as Indianapolis Power & Light, Ameren, Hoosier Energy, and Duke Energy, as well as industrial firms like Marathon Oil, Hershey Foods, General Electric, and PolyOne Corporation. In 2009, INRD announced plans to construct a rail spur in Sullivan County for Peabody Energy’s Bear Run coal mine, which is expected to yield more than 8 million tons annually.
Of historical interest is INRD’s former link to Indianapolis Union Station via tracks that have since been removed. The remnants of this infrastructure continue to influence local highway configurations near Lucas Oil Stadium.
Routes
Following its acquisition of the Milwaukee Road in 1986, the Soo Line Railroad discontinued service on the Bedford–Seymour segment. The line from Chicago to Bedford was operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway until it was transferred to Indiana Rail Road in 2006. On December 18, 2009, INRD formally abandoned the Bedford–Crane stretch, covering a distance of 21.15 miles.
Intermodal terminal
Indiana Rail Road manages the Senate Avenue Intermodal Terminal located near downtown Indianapolis. In collaboration with Canadian National Railway, it provides containerized freight service connecting Indianapolis with Canadian ports such as Halifax, Vancouver, and Prince Rupert, facilitating access to international shipping routes. Since opening in 2013, the terminal handled approximately 1,450 containers during its inaugural year and was projected to move over 40,000 containers by 2021. An expansion project launched in 2021 is scheduled for completion by 2023.
Locomotive roster
As of April 2021, the Indiana Rail Road operates a locomotive fleet composed solely of EMD models:
| Model | Numbers | Year Built | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| GP40M-2 | 3001-3002 | 1967-1970 | Converted from GP40 units by Morrison–Knudsen in 1991. |
| GP38 | 3801 | 1969 | Currently stored. |
| GP38-2 | 3802-3808 | 1978-1979 | |
| SD40-2 | 4001-4006 | 1980 | |
| SD60 | 6004, 6006-07, 6009, 6013, 6016-18 | 1987 | |
| GP40-2 | 6498 | 1980 | |
| EMD SD70M | 7001-7010 | 2003 | Purchased from Norfolk Southern Railway |
| SD9043MAC | 9001, 9004-05, 9007, 9009-13, 9025 | 1999 | Powered by 4300hp engines instead of the usual 6000hp. |
External links
- Indiana Rail Road – Official Website
- Indiana Rail Road Railfan Page – Unofficial Resource
- Articles with short description
- Indiana railroads
- Illinois railroads
- Kentucky railroads
- CSX Transportation
- Regional railroads in the United States
- Spin-offs of the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad
- Railway companies established in 1986
- 1986 establishments in Indiana
- American companies established in 1986
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- Companies of the United States by year of establishment