About Iowa Northern

Iowa Northern Railway Company, was formed in 1984 on a section of the old Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company. The line runs diagonally through Iowa northwest to southeast from Manly to Cedar Rapids, a branch line from Waterloo to Oelwein, and a branch line from Forest City to Belmond, all within the state of Iowa.

A group led by Dan Sabin, a second generation railroader and current president, took over management of the line in 1994. At that time the railroad handled 15,000 revenue cars annually and the average track speed was under 10 mph. The railroad has invested millions in bringing the line up to a state of good repair while increasing reliability and customer service, and currently handles over 60,000 cars per year.

Iowa Northern has three direct Class 1 interchanges and a short line interchange. With all of these connections our customers have access to all Class 1 railroads and the entire North American rail network.

Iowa Northern serves 20 grain elevators, two ethanol plants, two mineral processing facilities, and handles other commodities such as fertilizer, farm machinery, food, chemicals, lumber, and more. Sites are available along our line to develop new facilities whether a few acres are needed or over 100 acres.

Iowa Northern is the serving carrier to Manly Terminal, which is a liquids storage and transloading facility, serving biofuel production industries handling fuels, chemicals, and co-products, located in the heart of ethanol production in the United States. Manly Terminal is also involved with renewable energy as it has over 20 acres dedicated to a wind turbine component distribution center.

Iowa Northern Stats

• Operating Miles: 253 Miles
• Total Rail Cars: 450 Covered Grain Hoppers
• Locomotive Fleet: 12 EMD GP38-2, 1 EMD F40PH, 3 EMD GP40-2W,
  4 EMD F40M-2F, 2 MP1500D, 2 MP2000D, 6 Slugs
• Employee Headcount: 110

Railroad Interchanges:

• Manly: UP
• Nora Springs: CP
• Waterloo: CN
• Cedar Rapids: UP, CN, CIC (to IAIS)