Midwest & Bluegrass Rail Builds Short Line Business

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
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Vermilion Valley Railroad in Illinois is one of four short lines that MBRAIL has purchased from Indiana Boxcar Corp. as part of its mission of “creating a full-service rail company.”

Midwest & Bluegrass Rail, LLC (MBRAIL) has acquired Camp Chase Railway (Ohio), Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad (Indiana), Vermilion Valley Railroad (Illinois), and Youngstown & Southeastern Railroad (Ohio and Pennsylvania) from Indiana Boxcar Corp. They are the first small roads for MBRAIL, which formed in 2019 with the mission of “creating a full-service rail company.” The company has offices in Kansas City, Mo., and Lexington, Ky. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The four short lines serve customers along a combined 105 miles of branch line and industrial track, hauling commodities such as agricultural products, fertilizer, recyclables and construction-related materials.

Midwest & Bluegrass Rail will continue the commitment to customers, employees and communities to provide a high quality of service,” Chief Operating Officer Brian Miller said. “That commitment has lead to the traffic growth on these lines that were all faced with low traffic density or abandonment. Midwest & Bluegrass Rail believes the acquisition helps position the company for additional growth opportunities in the Eastern U.S.”

MBRAIL also offers freight brokerage services and operates a fleet of trucks in both intermodal drayage and flatbed hauling.

Connersville, Ind.-based Indiana Boxcar will focus on its current business of locomotive and freight car leasing.

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