Progressive Rail, Inc.

Progressive Rail, Inc.

Reporting mark	PGR
Locale	Minnesota Wisconsin Missouri
Dates of operation	1996–
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Headquarters	Lakeville, Minnesota
Website	Progressive Rail, Inc. Progressive Rail Specialized Logistics

Progressive Rail Inc. (reporting mark PGR) is a shortline railroad operating several separate branches including the Airlake Terminal Railway. The branches are listed as follows:

• Airlake Industrial Park (Airlake Terminal Railway) - Lakeville, Minnesota
• The "High Line" (aka Dan Patch Line) - Bloomington, Minnesota, Richfield, Minnesota, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Service begins at Auto Club Yard in Bloomington and serves a variety of industries
• Northfield to Lakeville, leased CP Rail trackage
• Northfield to Faribault, Minnesota via leased Union Pacific trackage
• Northfield to Cannon Falls, Minnesota, with service to the Great Western Industrial Park in Randolph, Minnesota
• Eagandale Industrial line (Eagan, Minnesota) via leased CP Rail trackage (former Milwaukee Road)

Progressive Rail train in Northfield, Minnesota

Progressive Rail also acquired the Wisconsin Northern Division in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and operates as a separately-named division. They also own the Central Midland Railway in Missouri.

History

Headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota (a southern suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul), Progressive Rail, Inc. was established in 1996 to initially serve the Airlake Industrial Park. In 2001, they leased the former Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway "High Line" in Bloomington and Richfield and started restoring trackage.^[1] The company's philosophy has been to provide service that a large railway chooses not to provide. They have also focused on economic development, including finding new customers, and working on regaining former rail customers along their lines. This strategy has paid off in an increase in traffic, from 600 carloads in their first year of operation to more than 5000 carloads in 2003.^[2]

Major commodities include:

• resins
• chemicals
• fuels
• lumber
• gypsum board
• cement
• fly-ash
• metals
• paper
• machinery
• food and kindred products
• scrap material
• consumer products

Progressive Rail, Inc. also operates wholly owned subsidiary Progressive Rail Specialized Logistics, which provides rail logistics services for machinery and over-dimensional freight shippers.^[3]

References

1. Black, Sam (August 26, 2001). "Progressive Rail buys Southwest Line". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
2. Weyer, Jake (March 23, 2003). "Short-rail line tracks growth". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
3. Progressive Rail Specialized Logistics official site

External links

• Progressive Rail, Inc. official site
• Progressive Rail Specialized Logistics official site
• Current locomotive roster
• Union Pacific shortline customer description
• Canadian Pacific shortline customer description
• University of Minnesota Railroad Club