When the IAIS took control of the track, the former Rock Island signal system was already damaged beyond repair due to sitting dormant for several years. Operations on the railroad are primarily controlled by track warrants rather than signals as a result. Trains are dispatched from the company's HQ in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where a new dispatching office was completed in 2016. IAIS uses Wabtec's Train Management and Dispatching System, the same dispatching software used by several Class I railroads, including the BNSF and KCS. The railroad's mainline is roughly a straight line between Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Chicago, Illinois, with a branch line connecting Bureau to Peoria, Illinois. The mainline is separated into 4 Subdivisions:
Council Bluffs Subdivision
Newton Subdivision
Iowa City Subdivision
Blue Island Subdivision
The railroad also includes the:
Peoria Subdivision
Cedar Rapids Subdivision. This line is owned by the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railroad, but dispatched and operated by the Iowa Interstate.
The Iowa Interstate operates from Bureau to Chicago over the former Rock Island tracks controlled by CSX and Metra. In Chicago the IAIS owns two yard facilities, Burr Oak Yard and Evans Yard, both in Blue Island, Illinois. The Iowa Interstate is unique in that it is the only Class II railroad in the US that has connections to every Class I railroad, affording its customers a reach not offered by other regional railroads. The railroad also maintains two intermodal operations at either end of its line in Chicago and Council Bluffs. The operation in Council Bluffs is also used by the Union Pacific, with IAIS crews inter-changing with UP several times a day.
Amtrak
Beginning in the mid-1990s, the IAIS mainline has been identified as a potential route for high speedpassenger train service between Wyanet, Illinois, the Quad Cities and Iowa City, Iowa, as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative. The ultimate goal of the MRRI is to establish passenger train routes in a hub-and-spoke formation with Chicago as the hub that allow for speeds up to and above 110 mph. In July 2019, a new transportation bill was passed by the Illinois state legislature, supported by Governor J.B. Pritzker, $225M was appropriated to begin Amtrak service from Chicago to Moline, IL. A rail connector will be built between BNSF and IAIS to permit Quad Cities Rocket to use BNSF mainline from Wyanet to Chicago Union Station. This Amtrak route will use the IAIS main line between Wyanet and Moline, IL. Upgrades to IAIS rail crossings, track, and signaling for Amtrak’s 79-mph requirements will be performed.
Motive power
IAIS uses 42 locomotives and two slugs to power its trains:
2 Slugs 601 and 650 are semi-permanently mated, as are 721 and 651
In 2006, IAIS also purchased two ex-China Railways QJ 2-10-2 steam locomotives, numbered 6988 and 7081 for special excursion trains and fundraising events. 6988 has been "Americanized", with a paint scheme inspired by American locomotives. 7081 retains its original China Railways paint with Iowa Interstate badges. In 2018 the 6988 made excursion trips to raise money for local volunteer fire departments in Brooklyn and Mitchellville, Iowa. The 6988 ran charity fundraisers in 2019 in both Iowa and Illinois. The first trips took place on May 18th running between Henry and Chillicothe, Illinois, and May 19th running between Annawan and Geneseo, Illinois. Later in June the same locomotive made trips in Western Iowa, culminating in a July 4th run between Oxford and Iowa City. 7081 is currently out of service. at the Mississippi River, southbound from Davenport, Iowa into Rock Island, Illinois shops in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Iowa.
