White River Bridge (Indianapolis Union Railway)

The White River Bridge is a through truss bridge spanning the White River in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was used by the Indianapolis Union Railway (IU) and CSX.

The IU was established on May 31, 1850, under the name Union Track Railway Company by the leaders of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad (M&I), Terre Haute and Richmond Railroad (TH&R), and Indianapolis and Bellefontaine Railroad (I&B) to create and operate shared terminal facilities in Indianapolis. The name was changed to the Indianapolis Union Railway on August 12, 1853.

In 1886, the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, built a wrought iron Pratt through truss bridge over the White River to replace an earlier structure.

By 1927, the IU included the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) through its Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway (PCC&StL), as well as the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway (Big Four), which was controlled by the New York Central Railroad (NYC). Other railroads involved included the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) through the Cincinnati, Indianapolis & Western Railroad (CI&W), the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway (CI&L/Monon), the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate Road), and the Illinois Central Railroad (IC). By 1935, this structure simplified significantly, with the PCC&StL holding 60% of the IU’s stock and the CCC&StL holding the remaining 40%. Other railroads continued to pay rent for the use of IU facilities but had no equity stake.

When the PRR merged with the NYC to create the Penn Central Railroad (PC) in 1968, it took full control of the IU. Following PC’s bankruptcy in 1970, the IU became part of Conrail (CR) in 1976. Conrail was eventually divided and sold in 1999, and the IU became part of CSX Transportation, which began operations in 2000.

In 2014, a 1.5-mile segment of the IU north of 10th Street, from West 29th Street to Langsdale Avenue, was proposed for abandonment. ¹ Additionally, in June 2023, a petition was filed to abandon 2.26 miles of the IU from 10th Street to West 29th Street, with service terminated in July. ²