The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad (IHB) is the largest switch carrier in the United States, featuring 54 miles of mainline track—24 miles of which is double track—and 266 miles of yard and siding track. We offer a diverse range of services, including industrial switching for 160 customers, resulting in 170,000 carloads annually. We interchange daily with 16 other rail carriers in Chicago and operate a growing fleet of approximately 1,400 freight cars, primarily serving the steel industry.
The IHB operates as an intermediate switch carrier for six major trunk-line railroads in Chicago, providing seamless traffic interchange across the Chicago terminal and offering switching services tailored to our clients' needs. Our industrial traffic base encompasses U.S. steel producers, oil refineries, corn milling facilities, grain elevators, chemical plants, warehouses, lumber yards, and transloading sites.
The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad encircles Chicago, extending from near O'Hare to Northwest Indiana, and roughly parallels Interstate 294 (Tri-State Expressway) and I-80/94. Our diverse business portfolio encompasses steel, automotive, and oil-related commodities. Additionally, we extend eastward for 16 miles on trackage rights to access Burns Harbor and Portage, IN, including Indiana's International Port.
The IHB was established in 1907 from several smaller systems operating around Chicago, with its earliest predecessor being the East Chicago Belt Railroad, which began operations in 1896. Following the loss of a lease by the Chicago Junction Railway in 1907, the East Chicago Belt acquired interests in the Chicago, Hammond & Western and Terminal Railroads, forming the foundation of the IHB.