Freight Movement in Central Indiana
Central Indiana is one of the premier freight and logistics regions in the United States. Various factors help account for this, including its extensive network of highways, railroads, and air freight facilities; its attractive, central location; and affordable land and business costs which help facilitate growth. Over the years, the following plans have helped inform investments in freight infrastructure and policy recommendations throughout the region.
The most recent version of the Regional Freight Plan, updated to include:
- Freight Clusters
- Highway, Rail, and Air Cargo, and Pipeline System Condition
- Recommendations and Performance Measures
In 2025, a supplement to the Freight Plan was created to inventory critical freight conditions and restrictions.
In 2015, the Indianapolis MPO conducted its first comprehensive freight plan since 1998. The plan reviewed previous plans, explored freight clusters, and provided recommendations for improvements to freight planning capacity in central Indiana.
Three white papers
- Task 1 describes the compnents of the system, the owning/operating railroads, the freight movements generated, as well as existing and proposed rail passenger service use. It also examines the potential conflicts on freight movement resulting from the latter.
- Task 2 identifies intermodal facilities and their locations, describes their use and deficiencies, and presents an improvement strategy for them.
- Task 3