Central Railroad of Indianapolis

Central Railroad of Indianapolis
Overview
Parent companyGenesee & Wyoming
HeadquartersIndianapolis, Indiana
Reporting markCERA
LocaleIndiana
Dates of operation1989[1]–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length60 miles (97 km)
Route map

TPW
Kokomo, Indiana
Vermont, Indiana
Greentown, Indiana
Sims, Indiana
Herbst, Indiana
Amboy, Indiana
Connection between Marion-Kokomo
and Amboy-Hartford City lines
Michaelsville, Indiana
Marion, Indiana
Norfolk Southern Railway
Gas City, Indiana
Hartford City, Indiana
Key
Central Railroad of Indianapolis
Other Genesee & Wyoming railroads
Norfolk Southern Railway

The Central Railroad of Indianapolis (reporting mark CERA) is a Class III short-line railroad that operates approximately 60 miles (97 km) miles of track in north central Indiana, connecting Marion, Indiana with Hartford City, Amboy, and Kokomo, Indiana. CERA interchanges with Norfolk Southern in Marion, and with U.S. Rail Corporation's Winamac Southern Rail System in Kokomo.[2][3] [1]

The line is owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming. The CERA and its sister railroad, the Central Railroad of Indiana, were acquired by RailTex's Indiana & Ohio Railway in 1998, which became a RailAmerica holding in 2000; Genesee & Wyoming acquired RailAmerica in 2012.[1]

CERA was formed in 1989 when Norfolk Southern leased 24 miles of its former Nickel Plate Road "Clover Leaf Route" between Kokomo and Marion, through NS's "Thoroughbred Shortline program.[4]

The railroad's main traffic comes from grain and metal products. The CERA hauled around 8,000 carloads in 2008, and can handle freight cars weighing up to 286,000 pounds (143 short tons/129.7 tonnes).[3][1]

  1. ^ a b c d "RailAmerica's Empire". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing. June 2010.
  2. ^ "KOKOMO Division". U.S. Rail Corp. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Central Railroad of Indianapolis – A Genesee & Wyoming Company".
  4. ^ Edward A. Lewis (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide. Kalmbach Publishing, Co. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-89024-290-2.