Changes in Operations (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Business combination, Sources and Uses of Cash [Table Text Block]

The sources and uses to accomplish the GRail Transactions were as follows (amounts in millions):

Sources	AUD		USD		Uses	AUD		USD
New Australian term loan	A$	690.0	$	511.4	GRail purchase	A$	1,140.0	$	844.9
MIRA	643.5		476.9		Repay GWA term loan	250.0		185.3
GWA (equity contribution)	597.5		442.8		GWA (equity contributed)	597.5		442.8
G&W	88.2		65.3		Transaction costs	31.7		23.4
Total sources	A$	2,019.2	$	1,496.4	Total uses	A$	2,019.2	$	1,496.4

Providence and Worcester Railroad [Member]

Schedule of Business Acquisitions, by Acquisition

The following preliminary acquisition-date fair values were assigned to the acquired net assets (dollars in thousands):

	Amount
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,529
Accounts receivable	4,011
Materials and supplies	1,048
Prepaid expenses and other	648
Property and equipment	127,020
Goodwill	26,969
Total Assets	161,225
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	8,505
Deferred income tax liabilities, net	26,569
Net assets	$	126,151

GRail [Member]

Schedule of Business Acquisitions, by Acquisition

The following preliminary acquisition-date fair values were assigned to the acquired net assets (amounts in thousands):

	AUD		USD
Accounts receivable	$	1,556	$	1,153
Materials and supplies	411		305
Property and equipment	279,592		207,206
Goodwill	415,959		308,267
Intangible assets	635,000		470,599
Total assets	1,332,518		987,530
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	5,771		4,277
Deferred income tax liabilities, net	190,551		141,217
Net assets	$	1,136,196	$	842,036

Freightliner [Member]

Schedule of Business Acquisitions, by Acquisition

The calculation of the total consideration for the Freightliner acquisition is presented below (amounts in thousands):

	GBP		USD
Cash consideration	£	492,083	$	733,006
Deferred consideration	24,200		36,048
Total consideration	£	516,283	$	769,054

Freightliner & GRail [Member]

Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information

The following table summarizes the Company's unaudited pro forma operating results for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 as if the acquisition of Freightliner had been consummated as of January 1, 2014 and the GRail Transactions had been consummated as of January 1, 2015. As such, these results include pro forma results from Freightliner for the period from January 1, 2015 through March 24, 2015 and pro forma results from the GRail Transactions for the period from January 1, 2015 through November 30, 2016. The following pro forma financial information does not include the impact of any costs to integrate the operations or the impact of derivative instruments that the Company has entered into or may enter into to mitigate foreign currency or interest rate risk (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts):

	2016		2015
Operating revenues	$	2,052,840	$	2,203,822
Net income attributable to Genesee & Wyoming Inc.	$	136,559	$	224,202
Basic earnings per common share	$	2.38	$	3.95
Diluted earnings per common share	$	2.34	$	3.88