GWI March, 1Q traffic gain

Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. said Wednesday its March freight traffic rose 16.6% compared with March 2010, while its first-quarter 2011 traffic advanced 18.5% above the comparable 2010 quarter.

Excluding 6,835 carloads from GWI’s acquisition of FreightLink, which closed Dec. 1, 2010, same-railroad traffic in March 2011 increased 7.7 percent% compared with March 2010, primarily due to an increase in coal & coke traffic, mostly in GWI’s Illinois Region, and pulp & paper traffic, primarily in GWI’s Southern Region. As well, , same-railroad traffic in the first quarter of 2011 increased 10.2% compared with the first quarter of 2010, largely attributable to increases in farm & food products, as well as pulp & paper traffic.

Shares of the company (GWR) were up 1.8% to $58.04 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange.