Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Reporting mark | CFE |
| Locale | Indiana, Ohio |
| Dates of operation | 2004– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 279 miles (449 km) |
| Operating speed | 40 mph (64 km/h)[1] |
| Other | |
| Website | https://www.gwrr.com/cfe/ |
The Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad (reporting mark CFE) is a short line railroad offering service from Tolleston, Indiana to Crestline, Ohio, United States over the former Fort Wayne Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Operations commenced in 2004 as a division of the Central Railroad of Indianapolis (CERA), under the overall corporate ownership of RailAmerica. CFE operates 279 miles (449 km) of rail leased from CSX.[2][3]
History
[edit]Conrail acquired the line in 1976, and later sold some of it to the Norfolk Southern Railway to relieve that company's ex-Nickel Plate Road main line. CSX Transportation acquired the entire line in the 1999 breakup of Conrail, and began to make improvements, including new crossing signals, paving crossings, and weed-whacking the railroad. After this was complete, signs were posted at each crossing notifying motorists of an increase in train traffic.
In 2004, operations under the Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad name began; from the beginning of operations, the railroad has been owned by RailAmerica.[4] In 2011, Joseph (Joe) Parsons, a former Norfolk Southern supervisor, was named General Manager of the Chicago, Fort Wayne, & Eastern Railroad, headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
On July 23, 2012, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. announced that it intended to purchase RailAmerica in a deal valued at $1.39 billion.[5][6] Approval of the purchase was granted by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board on December 19, 2012,[7] and ownership of the Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern was transferred to the G&W.
As of 2023, there are many interchanges in CFE:
BNSF (Chicago, Illinois); Belt Railway of Chicago (Chicago); Canadian National (Chicago); CPKC (Chicago); Chicago Rail Link (Chicago); Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad (Chicago); CSX (Crestline, Ohio and Lima, Ohio); Gary Railway (Chicago); Iowa Interstate Railroad (Chicago); Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad (Chicago); Indiana & Ohio Railway (Lima); Manufacturers' Junction Railway (Chicago); Norfolk Southern (Fort Wayne, Indiana and Lima); South Chicago and Indiana Harbor Railway (Chicago); Union Pacific (Chicago); Wisconsin and Southern Railroad (Chicago).[3]
Traffic
[edit]As of 2023, CFE owns 323 total miles, 184 in Indiana, and 139 in Ohio and Illinois. CFE has a capacity of 286,000.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Nunez, Jenifer (January 26, 2015). "CFE takes on track project to improve freight congestion". Railway Track and Structures. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Fort Wayne and Eastern". Shortlines of Chicago Historical Society. Archived from the original on September 23, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company".
- ^ "RailAmerica's Empire". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing. June 2010.
- ^ "Genesee & Wyoming Pay $1.39B for RailAmerica". Manufacturing.net. Associated Press. July 23, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ "Genesee & Wyoming to buy RailAmerica for $1.4 billion". Reuters. July 23, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Decision, Case No. 42772". Surface Transportation Board. Archived from the original on 2013-04-29.
External links
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