Iowa Northern Railway
| Reporting mark | IANR |
|---|---|
| Locale | Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Greene, Manly, Oelwein, and Garner, Iowa |
| Dates of operation | 1981– |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Headquarters | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
The Iowa Northern Railway (reporting mark IANR) is a Class III shortline railroad operating in the U.S. state of Iowa.
The origin of the Iowa Northern Railway starts with the major portion of the Manly to Cedar Rapids line which was built in the 1870s by the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad. That line became part of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (Rock Island RR) and remained in Rock Island ownership until that company's bankruptcy in 1980.
On August 7, 1981, short line service between Cedar Rapids and Vinton and from Shell Rock to Nora Springs started. By mid-1982, the operations had been connected and expanded to the present size. Iowa Northern Railway was incorporated in 1984, becoming one of the first short-line railroads in the state of Iowa and in July 1984 purchased its line from the bankrupt Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad estate for US$5.4 million.
The railroad was originally owned by a group of grain elevators located along the line but was sold in 1994 to Iron Road Railways (IRR), a holding company based in Alexandria, Virginia and Livonia, Michigan. In July 1994, IANR abandoned a 14-mile (23 km) branch from Vinton to Dysart, Iowa.
In 2002, following the bankruptcy and dissolution of IRR, the IANR was taken over by former IRR director Daniel Sabin.
Iowa Northern Railway operates 163 miles (262 km) in Iowa between Cedar Rapids in eastern Iowa and Manly in north central Iowa. The railroad connects with the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway in Cedar Rapids; with the Canadian National Railway subsidiary Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo; with the Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiary Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad) in Nora Springs; and with the Union Pacific Railroad in Manly, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Belmond. The Oelwein Subdivision operates over 23 miles (37 km) and the Garner Subdision operates over 28 miles (45 km) of trackage with portions of travel via incidental trackage rights. The railroad employs 100 people, all located in Iowa. The railroad is headquartered in Cedar Rapids. Iowa Northern also has Customer Service and General Offices located in Greene, Iowa and its Bryant Yard Shops are located in Waterloo. Traffic consists of grain, ethanol and other biofuels related commodities, chemicals, food products, and machinery.
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