By Eric Berger

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa Interstate Railroad has acquired an existing rail spur and 30 adjacent acres for a new transload facility on the southeast side of Iowa City, Iowa.

Founded in 1984 on the former Rock Island line from Chicago to Omaha, Neb., IAIS has developed into a Class II regional with connections to all seven Class I railroads, BNSF, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.

The site is located near 420th Street SE, part of the city’s industrial campus. Though direct access to the site may be limited for railfans in the future, there are grade crossings to the east and west affording opportunities to see trains coming and going.

Both railroad and city officials took note of the fact that railroads are the most fuel-efficient and “green” means of ground transport.

“According to the EPA, moving freight by rail versus truck lowers greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75 percent. In 2021, IAIS joined the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership, demonstrating its strong environmental leadership and corporate responsibility,” the railroad noted in its announcement of the Iowa City transload site.

“The City is proud to partner with Iowa Interstate Railroad on this project, which will both support existing industry and help attract new business to the Iowa City area. The transportation sector accounts for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions nationally and a quarter of our emissions locally. Projects like this are an excellent example of how actions on the local level contribute to solutions at a larger scale,” said City Manager Geoff Fruin.