Iowa Interstate Railroad
Reporting mark	IAIS
Locale	Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska
Dates of operation	1984–
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Website	http://www.iaisrr.com/

The Iowa Interstate Railroad (reporting mark IAIS) is a Class II railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

History [edit]

Iowa City Depot, once part of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, now on IAIS line.

The railroad was formed on November 2, 1984, using former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad tracks between Chicago, Illinois, and Omaha, Nebraska. It was in partnership with real estate firm Heartland Rail Corporation that the IAIS was able to operate. Heartland purchased the right-of-way and infrastructure for $31 million (of which, $15 million was a loan from the Iowa Railway Finance Authority), and then leased it to IAIS for operations.

The railroad's mainline is roughly a straight line between these two terminal cities with a branch line connecting Bureau to Peoria, Illinois. In recognition of the railroad's Rock Island Railroad heritage, the IAIS logo uses a shape similar to the original railroad's logo.

Operations [edit]

Two trains meet near Altoona, Iowa. At left, train 707 is led by a GP 38-2. At right, train 710 is also led by a GP 38-2.

Operations on the railroad are controlled by track warrants rather than signals. When the IAIS took control of the track, the signal system was already damaged beyond repair, so the trains were operated by warrant control. A centralized traffic control system has yet to be installed on the railroad's mainline.

Beginning in the mid-1990s, the IAIS mainline has been identified as a potential route for high speed passenger train service between Wyanet, Illinois (where the IAIS could be connected to the BNSF Railway), the Quad Cities and Iowa City, Iowa, as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MRRI). The ultimate goal of the MRRI is to establish passenger train routes in a hub-and-spoke formation with Chicago as the hub that allow for speeds up to and above 110 mph (177 km/h). Estimate of capital costs to upgrade the IAIS mainline to allow passenger train speeds of 79 mph (127 km/h) between Wyanet and Iowa City is $54.9 million, according to an April 2008 study by Amtrak.

The IAIS and the railroad infrastructure were purchased from Heartland by Railroad Development Corporation in 2003.

IAIS subsidiary Rail Traffic Control provides consulting services for dispatching and operating small- to medium-sized railroads worldwide.

In 2004, IAIS was awarded the E. H. Harriman Award for its safe operational record.

Motive power [edit]

IAIS uses 47 locomotives and two slugs to power its trains:^[1]

• 14 GE ES44AC (Numbered 500-513); unit 513 is painted in a Rock Island commemorative scheme.
• 8 EMD SD38-2 (Numbered 150-157)
• 22 EMD GP38-2 (Numbered 700-721)
• 1 EMD GP38 (Numbered 601)
• 2 Slugs (Numbered 650 and 651)

721 and 651 are permanently mated, as are 601 and 650

• 2 QJ 2-10-2 (Numbered 6988 and 7081), used for special excursions

IAIS #708 crossing the Government Bridge at the Mississippi River, southbound from Davenport, Iowa into Rock Island, Illinois

Iowa Interstate Railroad passenger cars near CRANDIC shops in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

IAIS QJ 2-10-2 6988 nose at Geneseo, Illinois.

IAIS 6988 engineer's side drivers at Geneseo, Ill.

Company officers [edit]

Presidents of the Iowa Interstate Railroad:

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Doug Christy
• Jon R. Roy ( –2002)
• Dennis H. Miller (2004–present)

Current Officers

• Jerry Lipka, President and CEO
• Mick Burkart, Vice President-Chief Operating Officer
• Scott Woodward, VP Mechanical/Engineering
• Randy Laughridge, Chief Mechanical Officer

References [edit]

• Association of American Railroads (February 2005), Iowa Interstate Railroad is the February Featured Railroad. Retrieved May 23, 2005. General overview.
• Bi-State Regional Rail Commission (2003), Midwest Rail Initiative. Retrieved May 23, 2005. Details of the passenger rail studies.
• Iowa Department of Transportation, Amtrak feasibility study of passenger rail service Quad Cities to Iowa City. Retrieved May 4, 2009. Estimate of capitol costs to improve line for passenger rail service.
• Botting, Laura, Moline Dispatch Publishing Co. (1999), Iowa Interstate picks up pieces. Retrieved May 23, 2005. Details of the purchase from Rock Island and Miller's predecessor as president.
• Iowa Department of Rail, Railroad Profiles - Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. (IAIS). Retrieved May 23, 2005. Overview of the railroad, mention of RDC purchase year.
• Iowa Interstate Railroad, About IAIS. Retrieved May 23, 2005. General overview.
• Iowa Interstate Railroad (July 15, 2004), Iowa Interstate Announces Executive Appointment (PDF). Retrieved May 23, 2005. Announced Miller's presidency.
• Iowa Interstate Railroad (June 20, 2002), Iowa Interstate Announces Senior Management Changes (PDF). Retrieved May 23, 2005. Announced Roy's retirement from the presidency.
• IAIS Railfan's Guide. Retrieved May 23, 2005. Details the current operations of the railroad.

External links [edit]

• Iowa Interstate Railroad - official website
• Unofficial Iowa Interstate Photo Archive and Railfan Guide

IAIS 513, painted in Rock Island colors, at Iowa City, Iowa.

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