CIC Riverside Drive Bridge

In the late 19th Century, electric interurban railways became popular throughout the United States, particularly in suburban and rural areas.  In rural areas, the interurban represented a reliable form of transportation, independent of the steam railroads.  In 1903, the Dows & Smith Electrified Interurban Railway (D&SEIR) began an electrified interurban line between Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Iowa City, Iowa.  The company was reorganized as the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Southwestern at some point in 1903.  By early 1904, the company was reorganized as the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway (CIC), which completed the 27-mile electrified line that year.  The CIC was owned by the Iowa Railway & Light Company, a common practice at the time.  While the railroad was popular with passangers, it also quickly expanded freight business by interchanging with various steam railroads at both Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.  The railroad was also well placed, serving student traffic attending the University of Iowa in Iowa City. 

In 1914, the railroad began seeking an expansion to Davenport, Iowa; where it could connect with other interurban lines and freight railroads.  A short 17-mile line was constructed that year, reaching Lisbon, Iowa from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Due to a low volume of business, the line was abandoned in 1928.  While other railroads were struggling to maintain passenger service by the 1930s, the CIC maintained a solid passenger base into the 1950s.  Passenger operations were discontinued in 1953, and the railroad was converted to diesel power to streamline freight operations.  By the early 1980s, the CIC was a successful short line railroad, and purchased abandoned branches of both the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (Rock Island) and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road).  Today, CIC continues to see strong revenue and operates the entire Cedar Rapids to Iowa City line to serve freight traffic.