Genesee & Wyoming's traffic in March down 13.6% year-over-year to 77,046 carloads; pulp and paper carloads fall 2.1%, farm and food products rise 7.4%, chemicals and plastics jump 16.5%

Kendall Sinclair

GREENWICH, Connecticut , April 13, 2012 (press release) – Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) (NYSE: GWR - News) today reported traffic volumes for March 2012 and the first quarter of 2012.

GWI’s traffic in March 2012 was 77,046 carloads, a decrease of 12,088 carloads, or 13.6 percent, compared with March 2011. GWI’s traffic in the first quarter of 2012 was 222,178 carloads, a decrease of 22,378 carloads, or 9.2 percent, compared to the first quarter of 2011.

The table below sets forth consolidated carloading information for March 2012 and March 2011. Additional carload information for GWI’s North American and Australian operations is included as an exhibit to this press release.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
by Commodity Group	March	March
	2012	2011	% Change
Consolidated:
Farm & Food Products	11,655	10,857	7.4%
Coal & Coke	11,354	19,816	-42.7%
Minerals & Stone	10,407	11,452	-9.1%
Metals	8,764	8,551	2.5%
Pulp & Paper	8,236	8,414	-2.1%
Chemicals & Plastics	6,039	5,182	16.5%
Lumber & Forest Products	5,430	5,773	-5.9%
Intermodal*	5,243	5,434	-3.5%
Metallic Ores**	3,024	2,762	9.5%
Petroleum Products	2,708	2,584	4.8%
Autos & Auto Parts	913	1,132	-19.3%
Other	3,273	7,177	-54.4%
Total carloads	77,046	89,134	-13.6%

* - Represents intermodal units
** - Includes carloads and intermodal units

Excluding 1,310 carloads from the Arizona Eastern Railway (AZER) acquisition, which closed September 1, 2011, and 250 carloads from the Hilton & Albany Railroad, Inc. (HAL), which commenced operations on January 1, 2012, same-railroad traffic in March 2012 decreased 13,648 carloads, or 15.3 percent, compared with March 2011. Coal & coke traffic decreased 8,462 carloads primarily due to lower shipments in GWI’s Illinois, New York/Pennsylvania and Ohio Regions. GWI’s other commodity group traffic decreased 3,905 carloads primarily due to lower overhead coal shipments in GWI’s Ohio Region. Minerals & stone traffic decreased 1,252 carloads primarily due to lower shipments in GWI’s Australia and New York/Pennsylvania Regions. All remaining traffic decreased by a net 29 carloads.

The table below sets forth consolidated carloading information for the first quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2011. Additional carload information for GWI’s North American and Australian operations is included as an exhibit to this press release.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
by Commodity Group	1st Qtr	1st Qtr
	2012	2011	% Change
Consolidated:
Farm & Food Products	32,727	30,882	6.0%
Coal & Coke	31,999	54,204	-41.0%
Minerals & Stone	30,116	30,727	-2.0%
Metals	26,671	22,540	18.3%
Pulp & Paper	24,776	24,309	1.9%
Chemicals & Plastics	17,046	14,349	18.8%
Lumber & Forest Products	15,838	15,575	1.7%
Intermodal*	13,456	13,718	-1.9%
Petroleum Products	8,031	7,788	3.1%
Metallic Ores**	7,087	6,969	1.7%
Autos & Auto Parts	2,406	2,890	-16.7%
Other	12,025	20,605	-41.6%
Total carloads	222,178	244,556	-9.2%

* - Represents intermodal units
** - Includes carloads and intermodal units

Excluding 4,028 carloads from AZER and 757 carloads from HAL, same-railroad traffic in the first quarter of 2012 decreased 27,163 carloads, or 11.1 percent, compared with the first quarter of 2011. The traffic decrease was principally due to decreases of 22,205 carloads of coal & coke traffic and 8,638 carloads of other commodity group traffic, partially offset by an increase of 3,188 carloads of metals traffic. All remaining traffic increased by a net 492 carloads. In the first quarter of 2012 Metallic Ores traffic was negatively affected by the closure of a section of track at the northern end of the Adelaide to Darwin line due to the Edith River bridge washout associated with Cyclone Grant. The line was re-opened on February 28, 2012.

Carload Reporting for Metallic Ores Traffic

Effective January 1, 2012, a portion of GWI’s metallic ores commodity group includes intermodal containers as a result of a change in rail logistics and equipment for a customer in GWI’s Australia Region. The impact of this change increased traffic by 532 carloads in March 2012 and 1,264 carloads in the first quarter of 2012.

Historically, GWI has found that carload information may be indicative of freight revenues on its railroads, but may not be indicative of total revenues, operating expenses, operating income or net income. Car movements related to railcar switching, including activities at port terminals, are excluded from our carload information as the resulting revenues are classified as non-freight.

GWI owns and operates short line and regional freight railroads and provides railcar switching services in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Belgium. In addition, we operate the Tarcoola to Darwin rail line, which links the Port of Darwin with the Australian interstate rail network in South Australia. Operations currently include 65 railroads organized in 10 regions, with more than 7,600 miles of owned and leased track and approximately 1,400 additional miles under track access arrangements. We provide rail service at 17 ports in North America and Europe and perform contract coal loading and railcar switching for industrial customers.

Exhibit

The table below sets forth North American carloading information for March 2012 and March 2011:

	March	March
	2012	2011	% Change
North America Operations:
Coal & Coke	11,354	19,816	-42.7%
Metals	8,764	8,551	2.5%
Pulp & Paper	8,236	8,414	-2.1%
Minerals & Stone	6,068	5,845	3.8%
Chemicals & Plastics	6,039	5,182	16.5%
Farm & Food Products	5,515	4,830	14.2%
Lumber & Forest Products	5,430	5,773	-5.9%
Petroleum Products	2,668	2,552	4.5%
Autos & Auto Parts	913	1,132	-19.3%
Metallic Ores	795	1,023	-22.3%
Intermodal*	312	370	-15.7%
Other	3,273	7,177	-54.4%
Total carloads	59,367	70,665	-16.0%

* - Represents intermodal units

The table below sets forth North American carloading information for the first quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2011:

	1st Qtr	1st Qtr
	2012	2011	% Change
North America Operations:
Coal & Coke	31,999	54,204	-41.0%
Metals	26,671	22,540	18.3%
Pulp & Paper	24,776	24,309	1.9%
Chemicals & Plastics	17,046	14,349	18.8%
Minerals & Stone	16,280	14,149	15.1%
Farm & Food Products	16,059	14,280	12.5%
Lumber & Forest Products	15,838	15,575	1.7%
Petroleum Products	7,907	7,705	2.6%
Metallic Ores	2,529	2,778	-9.0%
Autos & Auto Parts	2,406	2,890	-16.7%
Intermodal*	720	846	-14.9%
Other	12,025	20,605	-41.6%
Total carloads	174,256	194,230	-10.3%

* - Represents intermodal units

The table below sets forth Australian carloading information for March 2012 and March 2011:

	March	March
	2012	2011	% Change
Australian Operations:
Farm & Food Products	6,140	6,027	1.9%
Intermodal*	4,931	5,064	-2.6%
Minerals & Stone	4,339	5,607	-22.6%
Metallic Ores**	2,229	1,739	28.2%
Petroleum Products	40	32	25.0%
Total carloads	17,679	18,469	-4.3%

* - Represents intermodal units
** - Includes carloads and intermodal units

The table below sets forth Australian carloading information for the first quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2011:

	1st Qtr	1st Qtr
	2012	2011	% Change
Australian Operations:
Farm & Food Products	16,668	16,602	0.4%
Minerals & Stone	13,836	16,578	-16.5%
Intermodal*	12,736	12,872	-1.1%
Metallic Ores**	4,558	4,191	8.8%
Petroleum Products	124	83	49.4%
Total carloads	47,922	50,326	-4.8%

* - Represents intermodal units
** - Includes carloads and intermodal units