RailAmerica Development Efforts To Add Carloads, Grow Local Businesses

Jacksonville, FL: In the first six months of 2011, 34 customers have made plans to build, expand or re-open facilities on RailAmerica railroads. When completed over the next 12-to-18 months and operating at full production, the 34 projects are expected to generate over 25,000 annual freight carloads that RailAmerica railroads will handle.

RailAmerica's industrial development team actively works to increase rail shipments by locating new customers on RailAmerica railroads and by helping current customers expand their existing facilities. RailAmerica's development experts have access to a diverse catalog of sites across 7,400 track miles and 43 railroads and in-house logistics capabilities available to help customers with their shipping needs. By combining these services with Atlas Railroad Construction Company, a RailAmerica company providing railroad engineering and construction services, RailAmerica can offer customers a unique and broad set of capabilities to address virtually all aspects of new project development.

"Our clients and the communities that host them benefit from a number of advantages that arise when raw materials and finished products move by rail versus other modes of transportation. The environmental benefits, energy-cost savings and overall efficiency of rail transportation are all compelling drivers of continued development on our railroads," says RailAmerica's vice president of industrial development, Gary Lewis.

"Through our portfolio of 43 railroads and Class 1 network partners, RailAmerica can provide customers with access to virtually all industrial regions in North America," says Lewis, referring to the fact that RailAmerica's short-line railroads provide a critical service in connecting customer facilities with the continent's rail network.