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On Oct. 25, The Indiana Rail Road Co. (IRR) plans to mark the completion of its $1.5 million Linton, Ind., bypass project.


The 155-mile short line last year acquired six miles of abandoned track near a former Peabody Coal mine west of Linton. IRR recently renovated the track, enabling the railroad to interchange with Canadian Pacific Railway at Jasonville, Ind., bypassing Linton.


For years, CPR handed-off coal cars bound for generating stations in Indianapolis and Newton, Ill., to IRR in central Linton. Switching cars took several hours and blocked busy crossings most weekdays, which aggravated motorists in Greene County's most populated city.


The new connection, which IRR plans to call its Midland Subdivision, would enable the short line and Class I to annually carry more than 6 million tons of coal from Indiana and Wyoming mines to power generating stations serving customers between Indianapolis and Effingham, Ill.