The 2021 Iowa State Rail Plan is intended to guide the Iowa Department of Transportation 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.
Vision / Plan
A first-rate passenger rail network will provide rail service connecting Iowans to major cities, regional destinations, other transportation connections and many other communities not typically served by commercial air or current passenger rail.
The vision will create a passenger rail network that connects Iowans to each other and the country, and makes Iowa a more attractive place to live, work, and visit.
The vision seeks to integrate passenger rail into the broader multimodal transportation system and promote improved mobility, economic competitiveness, community revitalization, and reduced fuel use and emissions. It is a vision where travel by train is comfortable, efficient, and reliable. Implementation will use a conservative, incremental approach — increasing service over time, based on market demand, operational feasibility, and funding.
Iowa currently has the benefit of two national long-distance passenger rail lines that run from Chicago to the West Coast crossing the southern part of the state.
The immediate goal in the first phase of an expanded passenger rail system is to achieve passenger rail service from Iowa City (via the Quad Cities) to Chicago and Dubuque to Chicago, with later phases exploring further expansion.