Iowa Interstate Railroad LLC (IAIS) will be purchasing roughly 30 acres in Iowa City's southeast industrial campus, the company and City announced this week. 

The purchase will allow for the creation of a new rail-to-truck transloading facility. The plot of land is located about 1,000 yards east of 420th Street's intersection with Highway 6. 

The new loading facility will help make a new, local transportation connection between rail and Interstate 80, Highway 6, and Highway 218. Rail is also the most fuel-efficient way to move freight across the land, giving the City a more climate-friendly shipping option. 

"The transportation sector accounts for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions nationally, and a quarter of our emissions locally. Projects like this are an excellent example of how actions on the local level contribute to solutions at a larger scale," Geoff Fruin, City Manager for Iowa City said. "As we look for ways to continue to bolster our economy while making significant progress towards achieving our climate action goals, this partnership reflects the values and collaborative spirit of Iowa City." 

"As we have seen with the numerous other transloading sites existing along our network, these facilities provide significant value to our customers and open the door for many other companies to become rail shippers," Joe Parsons, IAIS President, and CEO said. 

IAIS is a Cedar Rapids-based railroad company that operates in the Midwest between the Chicago, Peoria, Illinois, and Omaha, Nebraska areas.