Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) (NYSE: GWR) President John C. Hellmann today assumes the position of chief executive officer from Mortimer B. Fuller III, who becomes executive chairman in accordance with a succession plan first announced in May 2005.

Hellmann joined GWI as chief financial officer in 2000 and became president in May 2005. During his tenure at GWI, the company has acquired more than two dozen rail operations worldwide and grown from a market capitalization of approximately $50 million to $1.3 billion today.

Fuller became CEO upon purchasing a controlling interest in GWI in 1977, when it owned 14 miles of track serving a single customer in Upstate New York -- much as it did when his great grandfather Edward L. Fuller founded the Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Company in 1899. Revenue in 1977 was $4.4 million. With the acquisitions of 47 more rail operations since 1985, GWI posted revenue of $478.8 million in 2006.

"Today the company is in the strongest position in its history," Fuller said. "Our commodity, customer and geographic diversification is broad, and our balance sheet gives us significant financial capacity. Upon turning 65, what better way to bring my 30 years as CEO to a close? As I move to the full-time role of executive chairman, with Jack Hellmann's well demonstrated leadership abilities and an outstanding management team in place, I have never been more confident in the future of the company and my investment in it."

"We have a unique franchise as the only publicly traded, international operator of regional freight railroads," Hellmann said. "Our core purpose is to be the safest and most respected provider of rail services in the world, and we will continue to execute our growth strategy with the same disciplined approach that has created such significant shareholder value over the past 30 years."

GWI is a leading operator of short line and regional freight railroads in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Bolivia. Operations currently include 48 railroads organized in 10 regions, as well as service at 12 U.S. ports, contract coal loading and industrial switching. GWI operates more than 6,800 miles of owned and leased track and approximately 3,700 additional miles under track access arrangements.

CONTACT: Michael E. Williams, Director, Corporate Communications, Genesee & Wyoming Inc., +1-203-413-2116/ /Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070601/NYF044 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com/ /Web site: http://www.gwrr.com / (GWR)

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Genesee & Wyoming's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.