Gulf & Atlantic Railways inks deal to acquire Midwestern short lines

GULF & Atlantic Railways (G&AR) has signed an agreement to acquire three midwestern railroads from Midwest & Bluegrass Rail. The railroads, Camp Chase Railroad (CAMY), Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad (CKIN) and Vermilion Valley Railroad (VVRR), are located in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, respectively, and will expand G&AR’s existing portfolio from two railroads to five.

“We look forward to continuing the safe, customer-focused operations of these railroads, which we believe are complementary to our existing business,” said Ryan Ratledge, Chief Executive Officer at G&AR. “The high-quality leadership at Midwest & Bluegrass has done a tremendous job of enhancing these lines and preparing them for growth. We are eager to begin working with the solid group of professional railroaders who will soon join the Gulf & Atlantic team.”

The acquisition list

Camp Chase Railroad (CAMY), which operates 15 miles in the Columbus, Ohio area and interchanges with Norfolk Southern (NS) and CSX. CAMY offers rail-truck transload and industrial development opportunities.

Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad (CKIN), which operates 28 miles (48 km) of track in northwest-Indiana, offering proximity to Chicago. CKIN provides daily switching service, connecting with NS and CSX. The railroad regularly handles unit grain trains and offers rail-truck transload services at La Crosse, Ind.

Vermilion Valley Railroad (VVRR), which connects with CSX in Danville, Ill., extending 10 miles from the Illinois-Indiana state line to Olin, Ind. VVRR provides flexible service to large-scale logistics projects involving rail-truck transload of dimensional loads and other products.

In addition, VVRR operates a full-service locomotive shop, capable of performing heavy maintenance on company-owned diesels as well as units for third-party lessors.

Gulf & Atlantic Railways owns and operates two lines: regional railroad Florida, Gulf & Atlantic (FGA) and short line Grenada Railway (GRYR).

FGA operates on 430 route miles (692 route kms) of track in Florida generally running east west along the Interstate 10 corridor between Baldwin and Pensacola, with a branch line from Tallahassee to Atapulgus, Ga. FGA connects with AN Railway and CSX.