INDOT is updating the Indiana State Rail Plan, which guides the state’s rail infrastructure investments and policies and is seeking public input.

The plan website includes an overview, draft plan, executive summary and a link to submit feedback.

The 2026 Indiana State Rail Plan current includes goals related to:

• Safety: To help improve and promote the safety of the rail system, as well as raise public awareness of rail safety issues.
• Economic development: To support efforts to better connect Indiana with regional, national and international markets through new or improved transportation service options.
• Transportation effectiveness: To reduce bottlenecks and maintain rail system in a state of good repair to improve the reliability and efficiency of railroad transportation, resulting in less congestion and fewer infrastructure repairs.
• Quality of life, environmental and social responsibility: To improve accessibility for all to rail transportation and preserve rail as an environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
• Innovation: To encourage Indiana’s railroading practice to be as efficient as technology improvements will allow so as to contribute as much as possible to the Indiana economy.

Indiana’s 3,650-mile network of railroads encompass all three freight railroad classes (Class I, Class II, and Class III), intercity passenger railroad (Amtrak), commuter railroad ( Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District), and five tourist railroads.

The state’s three Class I railroads — CSX Transportation, Canadian National Railway and Norfolk Southern Railway — have main lines that link multiple consuming and manufacturing regions, including routes from the Midwest to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, routes from the Midwest to the Southern U.S. and from Chicago to Eastern Canada. To efficiently move this traffic, railroad terminals in Elkhart, Gary and Indianapolis sort thousands of freight cars each day arriving from across the eastern United States and then build outbound trains to send the cars onward to their destinations.

Indiana also has 39 regional railroads, also known as short lines. Short line railroads provide first-mile and last-mile rail service to hundreds of manufacturing facilities, grain elevators, industrial parks and other local employers. In addition, rail-served ports located on Lake Michigan and the Ohio River offer other ways for carriers and shippers to keep transportation costs low and compete in national and global markets.

Indiana also has three types of passenger rail service including the intercity rail provided by Amtrak, the South Shore Line commuter rail service provided by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and tourist/excursion railroad services provided by local private and public entities.

Amtrak trains operate on routes that are typically 100 miles or more and are part of the national rail network, providing an alternative travel option for medium- and long-distance trips. NICTD operates between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend International Airport in South Bend. Tourist/excursion railroads operate trains for recreational or entertainment purposes and have economic development and rail corridor preservation significance.

To review the plan and provide input, visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0cc116461b73422db5b3bb5bdc75ae6.

INDOT is requesting public input be submitted by Monday, July 6, to help prioritize future rail investments.

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