The train was inaugurated in 1911 as the Hoosier Limited and was intended as the premier service of the Monon Railroad.

[1] Unique among the Monon's passenger trains, the Hoosier retained its name through World War I.

[3][4] Due to competition from automobile and highway use in the 1950s, passenger numbers began to decline.

[5] In 1958, the railroad petitioned the Indiana Public Service Commission to discontinue its passenger trains.

[6] Amtrak began operating their Hoosier State service between Chicago and Indianapolis in 1980, partially on former Monon tracks.