Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

The Company actively monitors its exposure to interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate risks and uses derivative financial instruments to manage the impact of these risks. The Company uses derivatives only for purposes of managing risk associated with underlying exposures. The Company does not trade or use derivative instruments with the objective of earning financial gains on the interest rate or exchange rate fluctuations alone, nor does the Company use derivative instruments where it does not have underlying exposures. Complex instruments involving leverage or multipliers are not used. The Company manages its hedging position and monitors the credit ratings of counterparties and does not anticipate losses due to counterparty nonperformance. Management believes its use of derivative instruments to manage risk is in the Company's best interest. However, the Company's use of derivative financial instruments may result in short-term gains or losses and increased earnings volatility. The Company's instruments are recorded in the consolidated balance sheets at fair value in prepaid expenses and other, other assets, net, accrued expenses or other long-term liabilities.

The Company may designate derivatives as a hedge of a forecasted transaction or a hedge of the variability of the cash flows to be received or paid in the future related to a recognized asset or liability (cash flow hedge). The portion of the changes in the fair value of the derivative used as a cash flow hedge that is offset by changes in the expected cash flows related to a recognized asset or liability (the effective portion) is recorded in other comprehensive income/(loss). As the hedged item is realized, the gain or loss included in accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) is reported in the consolidated statements of operations on the same line item as the hedged item. The portion of the changes in the fair value of derivatives used as cash flow hedges that is not offset by changes in the expected cash flows related to a recognized asset or liability (the ineffective portion) is immediately recognized in earnings on the same line item as the hedged item.

The Company matches the hedge instrument to the underlying hedged item (assets, liabilities, firm commitments or forecasted transactions). At inception of the hedge and at least quarterly thereafter, the Company assesses whether the derivatives used to hedge transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in either the fair value or cash flows of the hedged item. When it is determined that a derivative ceases to be a highly effective hedge, the Company discontinues hedge accounting, and any gains or losses on the derivative instrument thereafter are recognized in earnings during the period in which it no longer qualifies for hedge accounting.

From time to time, the Company may enter into certain derivative instruments that may not be designated as hedges for accounting purposes. For example, to mitigate currency exposures related to intercompany debt, cross-currency swap contracts may be entered into for periods consistent with the underlying debt. The Company believes such instruments are closely correlated with the underlying exposure, thus reducing the associated risk. The gains or losses from the changes in the fair value of derivative instruments not accounted for using hedge accounting are recognized in current period earnings within other income/(loss), net. Derivative instruments entered into in conjunction with contemplated acquisitions also do not qualify as hedges for accounting purposes.

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

The interim consolidated financial statements presented herein include the accounts of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. These interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are unaudited. They do not contain all disclosures which would be required in a full set of financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). In the opinion of management, the unaudited financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 are presented on a basis consistent with the audited financial statements and contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to provide a fair statement of the results for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results of operations for the full year. The consolidated balance sheet data for 2015 was derived from the audited financial statements in the Company's 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP.

Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block]

The results of operations of the foreign entities are maintained in the local currency of the respective subsidiary and translated into United States dollars at the applicable exchange rates for inclusion in the consolidated financial statements. As a result, any appreciation or depreciation of these currencies against the United States dollar will impact the Company's results of operations.

Fair Value Measurement, Policy [Policy Text Block]

The Company applies the following three-level hierarchy of valuation inputs for measuring fair value:


•	Level 1 - Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.


•	Level 2 - Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable market data.


•	Level 3 - Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs are unobservable.