Accounts Receivable

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Accounts Receivable, Net [Abstract]

Accounts Receivable [Text Block]

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE:

Accounts receivable consisted of the following as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 (dollars in thousands):

	September 30, 2014			December 31, 2013
Accounts receivable - trade	$	294,851		$	264,562
Accounts receivable - grants from outside parties	29,305			33,003
Accounts receivable - insurance and other third-party claims	30,208			31,643
Total accounts receivable	354,364			329,208
Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts	(5,455		)	(3,755		)
Accounts receivable, net	$	348,909		$	325,453

Grants from Outside Parties

The Company periodically receives grants for the upgrade and construction of rail lines and the upgrade of locomotives from federal, provincial, state and local agencies and other outside parties in the United States, Canada and Australia. These grants typically reimburse the Company for 50% to 100% of the actual cost of specific projects. In total, the Company received grant proceeds of $43.5 million and $23.9 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, from such grant programs. The proceeds were presented as cash inflows from investing activities within each of the applicable periods.

None of the Company's grants represent a future liability of the Company unless the Company abandons the rehabilitated or new track structure within a specified period of time, fails to maintain the upgraded or new track to certain standards and to make certain minimum capital improvements, or fails to comply with the provisions of the grant agreement, or ceases use of the locomotives within the specified geographic area and time period, as defined in the respective agreements. As the Company intends to comply with these agreements, the Company has recorded additions to track property and locomotives and has deferred the amount of the grants. The amortization of deferred grants is a non-cash offset to depreciation expense over the useful lives of the related assets. The Company recorded offsets to depreciation expense from grant amortization of $2.7 million and $2.1 million during the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and $8.2 million and $6.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Insurance and Third-Party Claims

Accounts receivable from insurance and other third-party claims at September 30, 2014 included $19.3 million from the Company's North American & European Operations and $10.9 million from the Company's Australian Operations. The balance from the Company's North American & European Operations resulted predominately from the Company's anticipated insurance recoveries associated with a derailment in Alabama (the Aliceville Derailment) in November 2013. The balance from the Company's Australian Operations resulted primarily from the Company's anticipated insurance recoveries associated with a derailment in Australia's Northern Territory (the Muckaty Derailment) in June 2012. The Company received proceeds from insurance totaling $9.6 million and $10.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.