WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) – Iowa Pacific railroad is aiming to improve service for passengers after it takes over a passenger line between Indianapolis and Chicago next month.

The company secured a bid in a partnership with Amtrak for the Hoosier State Line after the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration had been at odds for months about a contract expiring at the end of April.

Iowa Pacific Holdings Inc. President Ed Ellis tells WISH-TV (http://bit.ly/1CMSWXc ) that he wants to increase round trips from four a week to 12 per day.

He says the company also plans to decrease travel times so passengers can get from one city to the other in less than two hours. The trip currently takes at least three hours.