Iowa,
Chicago and Eastern Railroad - (en)
The Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad (IC&E) (AAR reporting marks
ICE) is a Class II railroad operating in the north central United States.
The IC&E is jointly owned with the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern
Railroad by Cedar American Rail Holdings, making the combined system the
largest class II railroad in the US. Created by the purchase of I&M
Rail Link LLC, IC&E commenced operations on July 30, 2002. The 1,400
miles (2,253 km) line, based in Davenport, Iowa, serves the states of
Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Principal commodities
include chemicals, coal, steel, automobiles, and agricultural products.
Train dispatching is performed at a joint DM&E/IC&E facility in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
History
The ICE was formed by the parent company to take over the operations of
the I&M Rail Link (IMRL). The Illinois and northern Iowa portions of
the ICE was in earlier times a part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul
and Pacific Railroad (the Milwaukee Road). IC&E began operations on
July 30, 2002.
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), a
division of the Teamsters, gained a contract with the railroad on January
24, 2005. Railroad employees first organized under the labor union on
December 17, 2003.
