Iowa's rail system

• In Iowa, 3,945 miles of rail freight track are operated and served by 18 railroad companies. Five of these rail carriers are major national companies operating more than 80 percent of Iowa's total route miles. (2009)


• The Union Pacific Railroad Co. (UP) is the dominant carrier in Iowa. UP owns or leases 1,341 miles of track in the state or 33 percent of the total trackage. (2009)


• Iowa railroads serve 90 out of 99 counties, 407 out of 947 cities, 43 out of 60 river terminals, and 444 out of 871 grain elevators. (2006)


• Rail accounts for only 3 percent of Iowa's 130,000-mile freight system (highways, rail lines, pipelines and navigable waterways), but carries 43 percent of Iowa's freight. (2001 Reebie Data)