3i-backed Regional Rail, a leading owner and operator of short-line freight railroads, has acquired a  portfolio of freight rail assets located across western Canada from G3 Canada Limited. In addition to  the Great Sandhills Railway, Regional Rail will acquire interests in three other freight rail assets located in western Canada. The rail portfolio serves a diversified set of industrial customers across a  range of agricultural and energy end-markets. 

Al Sauer, President and CEO, Regional Rail, commented: 

“We are looking forward to welcoming the employees of Great Sandhills Railway to our team and working together with our new partners to execute our top-line growth strategy.” 

Rob Collins, Managing Partner and Head of North American Infrastructure, 3i, commented: 

“The Great Sandhills Railway and other freight companies are a great addition to Regional Rail. We  are excited to expand into the Canadian market, where we see significant industrial growth  opportunities across the railroads. Since our initial investment in 2019, we have believed Regional  Rail offers an attractive platform for consolidation and this acquisition further strengthens that conviction.” 

Perry Pellerin, CEO, Great Sandhills Railway, and former President of the Western Canadian Short Line Railway Association, commented: 

“We appreciate the support G3 Canada has provided over the past several years and are excited to  join the Regional Rail family of short-line railroads. The GSR shares Regional Rail’s focus on  providing a high degree of customer service to our partners and we look forward to sharing best  practices between our companies to help further grow our operations in Canada.”  

Since partnering in July 2019, 3i and Regional Rail have more than doubled the size of Regional Rail  with the acquisitions of ten freight railroads located across North America. The company provides  freight transportation, car storage, and transloading services across the United States, in addition to  freight rail services in western Canada. In addition to freight services, Regional Rail provides railroad crossing signal design, construction, inspection, and maintenance services to a diverse base of  short-line and industrial customers in 20 U.S. states via the company’s Diamondback Signal  subsidiary.