Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) (NYSE:GWR) announced today that it has
agreed to acquire the shares of Atlantic Western Transportation, Inc.,
parent company of Heart of Georgia Railroad, Inc. (HOG). Terms of the
acquisition were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to customary
closing conditions, including the receipt of U.S. Surface Transportation
Board approval, and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of
2017.
HOG was founded in 1999 and operates across the state of Georgia on 219
miles of track leased from the Georgia Department of Transportation. It
connects with G&W’s Georgia Southwestern Railroad at Americus, Ga., and
with G&W’s Georgia Central Railway at Vidalia, Ga. HOG serves an inland
intermodal terminal at Cordele, Ga., providing five-day/week, direct
rail service via the Georgia Central Railway to the Port of Savannah for
auto, agricultural products and other merchandise customers. HOG has
Class I railroad connections with CSX at Cordele and with Norfolk
Southern at Americus and Helena, Ga.
HOG transports approximately 10,000 annual carloads of agricultural
products, feed, fertilizer, and lumber and forest products, of which
approximately 2,000 carloads are interchanged with G&W’s Georgia Central
Railway. Following the acquisition, HOG will be managed as one of G&W’s
Coastal Region railroads, led by Senior Vice President Andy Chunko.
“The Heart of Georgia is an excellent bolt-on acquisition that we expect
will enhance economic development by providing an efficient lane across
southern Georgia,” Mr. Chunko said. “Its proximity to other G&W
railroads unlocks operational efficiencies, while enhancing the
railroads’ abilities to serve customers and generate new commercial
opportunities across the region.
“We look forward to the 15 HOG employees joining those at our connecting
railroads and working with our Class I partners to expand HOG’s recent
success in driving more traffic onto rail in Georgia and Florida,” Mr.
Chunko continued. “We also look forward to broadening our already strong
relationship with the Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia
Ports Authority, in a state where we have established a significant
long-term presence, operating 11 railroads over more than 600 track
miles.”
About G&W
Genesee & Wyoming owns or leases 122 freight railroads worldwide that
are organized in 10 operating regions with approximately 7,300 employees
and 3,000 customers.
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G&W’s eight North American regions serve 41 U.S. states and four
Canadian provinces and include 115 short line and regional freight
railroads with more than 13,000 track-miles.
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G&W’s Australia Region provides rail freight services in New South
Wales, including in the Hunter Valley coal supply chain, and in the
Northern Territory and South Australia, including operating the
1,400-mile Tarcoola-to-Darwin rail line. The Australia Region is 51.1%
owned by G&W and 48.9% owned by a consortium of funds and clients
managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets.
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G&W’s U.K./Europe Region is led by Freightliner, the U.K.’s largest
rail maritime intermodal operator and second-largest rail freight
company. Operations also include heavy-haul in Poland and Germany and
cross-border intermodal services connecting Northern European seaports
with key industrial regions throughout the continent.
G&W subsidiaries provide rail service at more than 40 major ports in
North America, Australia and Europe and perform contract coal loading
and railcar switching for industrial customers.
"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 on Form 10-K for the most
recently ended fiscal year.
G&W Corporate Communications
Michael Williams, 1-203-202-8900
http://www.gwrr.com