Headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota, Progressive Rail was established in 1996 to initially serve the Airlake Industrial Park. In 2001, the company expanded to include the former Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway “High Line” in Bloomington, MN and Richfield, MN. In 2007, PGR acquired the Central Midland Railway operating 60 miles of track from St. Louis to Union, MO. In 2010, PGR acquired the Iowa Traction Railway Company in Mason City, Iowa which is the last freight railroad that draws its power source from overhead electric lines in the United States. In 2012, the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad in Marion, Illinois was added to the PGR family and in 2016 PGR had expanded operations in southern Iowa with the acquisition of the Iowa Southern Railway operating out of Centerville, Iowa. In the summer of 2017 PGR made the move down south and is now operating the Piedmont and Northern Railroad in Gastonia, NC. 2018 PGR expanded operations with the Chicago Junction Railroad in Elk Grove Village, Illinois and the Clackamas Valley Railroad in Clackamas, Oregon.