RailAmerica

RailAmerica

RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada.

In 2007, RailAmerica was acquired by Fortress Investment Group. Before that, it traded on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol RRA. It was relisted in October 2009 with the ticker symbol RA.

On June 30, 2010, the company announced that it had acquired Atlas Railroad Construction, a construction and maintenance company operating in the Northeast and Midwest United States, for US$24 million.

In April 2011, RailAmerica made its first shortline purchase in over five years by initiating a deal with Gulf and Ohio Railways to acquire three Alabama shortlines for $12.7 million.

On July 23, 2012, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. announced that it will purchase RailAmerica in a deal valued at $1.39 billion. Final approval of the purchase was expected from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board by the end of 2012 or early 2013; in the meantime, Genesee & Wyoming put RailAmerica control in the hands of a trust.