2009 RAIL TRANSPORTATION PLAN

The 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan is intended to guide the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in its activities of promoting access to rail transportation, helping to improve the freight railroad transportation system, expanding passenger rail service, and promoting improved safety both on the rail system and where the rail system interacts with people and other transportation modes.

The 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan is organized in three major parts, including:

Part I - The Iowa railroad investment plan identifies the key issues facing Iowa’s railroad system today and a detailed action plan for addressing the identified issues.

Part II - The Iowa railroad resource guide provides background information for the plan including information about railroads and Iowa’s railroad system. The major topics covered in this section of the document include:

• Iowa’s railroad system and carriers.
• Freight rail service and the Iowa economy.
• Passenger rail and the Iowa economy.
• Railroad network safety and security.
• Railroad and community interactions.

Part III - The five appendices provide detailed information about more specific topics.

• Appendix A: Government oversight of railroads
• Appendix B: Government financial assistance programs
• Appendix C: Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
• Appendix D: 2008 Iowa railroad profiles
• Appendix E: Performance measures for Iowa’s railroad system

The Railroad System Plan is divided into section to reduce the file size. Below are links to the individual pdf sections.

• Cover and Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part I. Iowa railroad investment plan
• Part II. Iowa railroad resource guide
• Part III. Appendices

Rail Focus Group Meeting Minutes

• Cedar Rapids
• Des Moines
• Fort Dodge