INRD Receives Prestigous Business Development Award

The Indiana Rail Road Company (INRD) has been awarded The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s (ASLRRA) Business Development Award.   The award is bestowed to Class II or III railroads that have designed and enacted the most innovative and successful marketing initiatives.  The award was presented to INRD during ASLRRA’s annual conference in Kansas City on March 26th.

INRD’s intermodal expansion was identified as capitalizing on market conditions with a strategic build-out.  In 2013, INRD established an "all-rail" option for trans-Pacific import and export freight moving to and from Indiana via west coast ports with the completion of a modern and user-friendly intermodal hub. Conversations with customers combined with  eastern seaboard port opportunities suggested the possibility to build upon the west coast port capabilities to develop a coast-to-coast solution. 

INRD committed to a privately-funded, multi-year project build which would increase capacity for west-coast traffic and include new east-coast lanes at its Senate Avenue Terminal. Twelve acres of adjacent land were cleared for the expansion, increasing 40-foot equivalent units (FEU) capacity from 40,000 to 120,000.  An additional six acres were secured and built out to allow for an empty container and chassis depot, helping customers to enhance fluidity and reduce handling costs of shipments.

With the completion of the expansion and build-out of the container and chassis depot, annual volumes increased 80% in 2023.  Intermodal volume doubled, export container volume tripled, and new jobs were created. The completed project established the Senate Avenue Terminal as the premier intermodal facility in Indiana, and it is the only dual-serviced intermodal facility in the Midwest.

“INRD is exceeding customer needs while providing the niche customer service we have always been known for,” said Dewayne Swindall, President and CEO of The Indiana Rail Road. “Our ideal location in the crossroads of America allows for strategic growth and opportunities.”

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The Indiana Rail Road Company is a privately-held, 250-mile railroad which serves southwest Indiana and eastern Illinois, and connects to the entire North American rail network via strategic gateways at Chicago, Indianapolis and Newton, Ill. For more information on the railroad and its community involvement, visit www.inrd.com or find us on Twitter and Facebook.