Regional Rail LLC summary
Regional Rail LLC is a holding company that operates multiple short line railroads throughout the United States and Canada. It’s owned by 3i Group plc, a London-based international private equity and infrastructure firm. Headquartered out of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the company has grown to 13 freight railroads since partnering with 3i Group in 2019.
History
Regional Rail was formed in 2007 to acquire the East Penn Railroad, a 109-mile short line that operates in Delaware and Pennsylvania. By 2012, the company’s total assets included two additional freight railroads, the Middleton & New Jersey Railroad and the Tyburn Railroad, and the subsidiary Diamondback Signal. In 2019, 3i Group plc purchased Regional Rail and has since more than tripled the shortline acquisitions within the company.
Operations
Regional Rail serves eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The majority of their short lines are located in the eastern U.S., with expansion taking place in the Midwest since October 2022. The railroads themselves vary in size and traffic based on their locations and commodities within the area. The Carolina Coastal Railway is one of the largest with 179 miles of track in eastern North Carolina serving the Port of Morehead City, N.C. The Illinois Western Railroad Company is one of the shortest with approximately 1,300 feet of track serving the John W. Kelsey Business and Technology Park in Greenville, Ill. In addition to freight haulage, railcar storage and transloading is offered throughout the lines in Regional Rail’s growing system. In 2012, Diamondback Signal was formed as a subsidiary to the company by providing signal expertise to other short line and regional railroads. Services include contract design, construction, and maintenance for railroad crossings and warning systems.
As a growing company in shortline operations throughout North America, Regional Rail rosters a vast variation of diesel locomotives. Many range from freight haulers to switchers while retaining their original liveries of the railroad subsidiaries under Regional Rail’s ownership.
