Segment and Geographic Area Information Disaggregation of Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	$ 2,348,550	$ 2,208,044	$ 2,001,527
Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	1,642,465	1,553,875	1,371,566
Freight-related [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	571,595	533,651	536,359
All other revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	134,490	120,518	93,602
Agricultural Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	146,034	152,127	135,603
Autos & Auto Parts [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	21,568	22,901	18,259
Chemicals & Plastics [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	151,759	148,252	137,712
Coal & Coke [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	220,467	203,585	100,758
Food & Kindred Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	34,361	33,424	33,549
Intermodal [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	318,992	324,267	329,837
Lumber & Forest Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	91,928	87,200	83,679
Metallic Ores [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	47,748	50,806	33,793
Metals [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	126,579	103,863	103,799
Minerals & Stone [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	232,165	206,149	178,450
Petroleum Product [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	75,596	69,075	71,249
Pulp & Paper [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	121,600	107,453	104,523
Waste [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	29,049	25,063	20,835
Other Commodity [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	24,619	19,710	19,520
North American Operations [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	1,358,870	1,274,285	1,236,764
North American Operations [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	1,037,549	961,356	913,619
North American Operations [Member] | Freight-related [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	257,162	249,623	258,922
North American Operations [Member] | All other revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	64,159	63,306	64,223
North American Operations [Member] | Agricultural Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	122,832	124,285	115,627
North American Operations [Member] | Autos & Auto Parts [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	21,568	22,901	18,259
North American Operations [Member] | Chemicals & Plastics [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	151,759	148,252	137,712
North American Operations [Member] | Coal & Coke [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	83,162	75,935	74,664
North American Operations [Member] | Food & Kindred Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	34,361	33,424	33,549
North American Operations [Member] | Intermodal [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	1,665	980	99
North American Operations [Member] | Lumber & Forest Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	91,928	87,200	83,509
North American Operations [Member] | Metallic Ores [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	13,940	13,391	16,819
North American Operations [Member] | Metals [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	126,579	103,863	103,799
North American Operations [Member] | Minerals & Stone [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	140,310	130,511	114,185
North American Operations [Member] | Petroleum Product [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	74,177	68,388	70,519
North American Operations [Member] | Pulp & Paper [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	121,600	107,453	104,523
North American Operations [Member] | Waste [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	29,049	25,063	20,835
North American Operations [Member] | Other Commodity [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	24,619	19,710	19,520
U.K./European Operations [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	688,002	626,249	542,177
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	349,894	337,866	337,325
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight-related [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	273,181	237,332	181,661
U.K./European Operations [Member] | All other revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	64,927	51,051	23,191
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Agricultural Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	4,567	5,280	2,465
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Autos & Auto Parts [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Chemicals & Plastics [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Coal & Coke [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	11,706	9,972	14,982
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Food & Kindred Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Intermodal [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	249,317	253,854	262,977
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Lumber & Forest Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	170
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Metallic Ores [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	100
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Metals [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Minerals & Stone [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	83,582	68,760	56,631
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Petroleum Product [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	722	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Pulp & Paper [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Waste [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Other Commodity [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
Australian Operations [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	301,678	307,510	222,586
Australian Operations [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	255,022	254,653	120,622
Australian Operations [Member] | Freight-related [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	41,252	46,696	95,776
Australian Operations [Member] | All other revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	5,404	6,161	6,188
Australian Operations [Member] | Agricultural Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	18,635	22,562	17,511
Australian Operations [Member] | Autos & Auto Parts [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
Australian Operations [Member] | Chemicals & Plastics [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
Australian Operations [Member] | Coal & Coke [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	125,599	117,678	11,112
Australian Operations [Member] | Food & Kindred Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
Australian Operations [Member] | Intermodal [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	68,010	69,433	66,761
Australian Operations [Member] | Lumber & Forest Products [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
Australian Operations [Member] | Metallic Ores [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	33,808	37,415	16,874
Australian Operations [Member] | Metals [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
Australian Operations [Member] | Minerals & Stone [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	8,273	6,878	7,634
Australian Operations [Member] | Petroleum Product [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	697	687	730
Australian Operations [Member] | Pulp & Paper [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
Australian Operations [Member] | Waste [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	0	0	0
Australian Operations [Member] | Other Commodity [Member] | Cargo and Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
OPERATING REVENUES	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0