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Private company

Belt Railway of Chicago

Logo: Belt Railway Company of Chicago, Non-free logo, via Wikipedia3

Largest terminal railroad in the United States

The Belt Railway Company of Chicago (reporting mark BRC), headquartered in Bedford Park, Illinois, is the largest switching terminal railroad in the United States. It is co-owned by the six Class I railroads of the United States and Canada — BNSF, Canadian National, CPKC (the BRC's north–south main line's northern terminus is, like the Indiana Harbor Belt, the Milwaukee District West Line in Chicago's Cragin neighborhood), CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific — each of which uses the switching and interchange facilities of the BRC.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1882Founded1

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19680222 20 BRC 602 26th St. near Kenton Ave
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Belt Railway Company of Chicago (reporting mark BRC), headquartered in Bedford Park, Illinois, is the largest switching terminal railroad in the United States. It is co-owned by the six Class I railroads of the United States and Canada — BNSF, Canadian National, CPKC (the BRC's north–south main line's northern terminus is, like the Indiana Harbor Belt, the Milwaukee District West Line in Chicago's Cragin neighborhood), CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific — each of which uses the switching and interchange facilities of the BRC. Owner lines and other railroads bring their trains to the Belt Railway to be separated, classified, and re-blocked into new trains for departure. The BRC also provides rail terminal services to approximately 100 local manufacturing industries. The company employs about 440 people, including its own police force.2

Timeline

  1. 1882Founded Founded1

Sources

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