Document and Entity Information Document - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Nov. 02, 2017
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	GENESEE & WYOMING INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0001012620
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Class A Common Shares [Member]
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		61,671,666
Class B Common Shares [Member]
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		713,138