Iowa site certification a big boon for burgeoning rail park
7/16/2026
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
Heading into July 9, Iowa Interstate Railroad LLC (IAIS) leaders were anticipating a twofold celebration to mark major milestones for a new rail park in Newton, Iowa. Instead, only one landmark achievement was hailed that day — but a crucial one at that.
Representatives from IAIS, Jasper County, the city of Newton and other stakeholders on July 9 commemorated the Iowa Economic Development Authority's (IEDA) site certification approval for major portions of the Newton Rail Park.
Last year, the railroad and county reached a public-private land agreement to establish the park. Other partners in the endeavor include the Jasper County Economic Development Corp., Newton Development Corp., Alliant Energy, ITC Midwest and Black Hills Energy.
Situated along the Interstate 80 corridor in the heart of Iowa's agriculture, manufacturing and clean energy region, Newton Rail Park offers rail and highway access to such major Midwest markets as Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha and St Louis. The park is directly served by IAIS, a more than 500-mile regional that interchanges with all the Class Is.
The park offers 405 acres zoned for agriculture and heavy industrial uses within Newton and Jasper County. The size of each of the 10 or 11 expected sites is expected to range from 20 acres to 50 acres, says IAIS Senior Director of Economic and Site Development Jim Bowman.
The park will be divided into 10 or 11 sites ranging in size from 20 acres to 50 acres. AU Solutions plans to purchase a 40-acre site for a new $17 million facility.Iowa Interstate Railroad LLCPark partners are counting on the IEDA site certification to help in attracting potential tenants seeking shovel-ready sites with all utilities already available and/or connected, such as gas, electricity, sewers, water lines and telecommunications.
"Site readiness is the name of the game. Why? Then a company can get to the production stage and make money quicker. They can get ahead of their competition," says Bowman. "The bottom line is the certification helps with readiness."
The IEDA takes about a year to complete the site certification process to review engineering studies, environmental and archaeological reviews, utility assessments and mitigation planning documents. The certification process is overseen by Quest Site Solutions, a national site selection firm that aims to ensure every site meets or exceeds high certification standards.
"There are rigorous standards for the sites," says Bowman.
In June, the IEDA approved site certification for the 478-acre Webster City Gateway Industrial Park in Hamilton County. The park is near Interstate 35 and a Union Pacific Railroad mainline.
In the Newton Rail Park, agricultural chemical manufacturer AU Solutions plans to purchase the first site for a new $17 million facility. The company had expected to hold a groundbreaking ceremony on July 9, but at the last minute decided to postpone the event.
"They jumped the gun a bit. More work needs to be done with the 40 acres," says Bowman. "They are still doing their due diligence [and] drilling down further into the site."
The Newton facility eventually will become AU Solution's first Iowa plant. The company currently maintains manufacturing facilities and its headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Iowa Interstate Railroad built a transload facility in Newton to initially serve wind energy shippers’ needs, such as to transport wind-turbine blades.Iowa Interstate Railroad LLCIn the meantime, IAIS and its partners are working with a pipeline of prospects interested in locating in the park, says Bowman.
"There are half a dozen solid projects that we are seriously looking at," he says.
Potential tenants are intrigued by the park's favorable geography in central Iowa, access to a major interstate highway and all the Class Is, 24/7 rail service and local dispatching, and proximity to Des Moines, says Bowman. The park is 30 miles east of Des Moines, a large city that can be tapped to build a workforce, he adds.
Another attractive attribute: IAIS' $9 million Renewable Energy Logistics Center, a transload facility located within the park. That makes the Newton entity the only industrial park in the state with a built-in railroad terminal. The logistics center was built with wind energy uses in mind, but any product can be transloaded there, says Bowman.
In terms of the volume the park could generate for IAIS, hundreds of cars likely are the initial target, he says. But the potential is strong that volume could eventually grow to thousands of cars.
"We are poised for significant rail activity at the park," says Bowman. "I think we can fill the park in five years."
