History

In 1986, Pat Broe purchased the Great Western Railway, a 40-mile small railroad in northern Colorado in a bankruptcy proceeding from Great Western Sugar. Broe recognized the potential real estate opportunities alongside the railroad tracks that could be developed – for the benefit of the railroad and the real estate company.

Following the formation of OmniTRAX, the company purchased the Great Western of Iowa out of bankruptcy. The railroad was later sold to the Iowa Interstate Railroad in 2006.

Rail operations grew rapidly in 1992 with the acquisition of Chicago West Pullman Transportation which owned six short lines: Manufacturers’ Junction in Cicero, IL; Newburgh and South Shore Railroad in Cleveland, OH; Chicago Rail Link in Chicago, IL; Chicago and West Pullman and Southern Railroad in Chicago, IL; Georgia Woodlands Railroad in Washington, GA; and Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad in southern Wisconsin. The WCR was subsequently sold to Wisconsin and Southern Railroad in the same year.

OmniTRAX purchased 31 miles of track between Borger and Panhandle, Texas, from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in November 1993. It formed the Panhandle Northern Railroad.

The Fort Collins branch line was added to Great Western Railway, expanding OmniTRAX’s reach in northern Colorado.

OmniTRAX moved into Canada in November 1996 with its purchase of the Hudson Bay Railway which ran from The Pas, Manitoba, to the Port of Churchill in Churchill, Manitoba.

OmniTRAX continued its growth in Canada with the purchase of Carlton Trail Railway from Canadian National.

The company leased the Fulton County Railway, based in Atlanta, and the Alabama and Tennessee River Railway in Alabama from CSXT. OmniTRAX later purchased both lines in 2018.

OmniTRAX ventured into Washington state with the acquisition of track from BNSF that runs from Kettle Falls, WA across the U.S.-Canadian border into British Columbia. With the acquisition, the company renames the line Kettle Falls International Railway.

OmniTRAX moved into California for the first time in 2011 when it purchased the 25-mile Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad, a short line linking several industrial customers to the Port of Stockton, the Union Pacific, and the BNSF.

OmniTRAX entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Cleveland Commercial Railroad (CCRL) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Cleveland Harbor Belt Railroad (CHB). CCRL is renamed Cleveland & Cuyahoga Railway, LLC and the CHB is renamed Cleveland Port Railway, LLC.

OmniTRAX completed the acquisition of the 101-year-old Winchester & Western Railroad (WW) from Covia Holdings. W&W operates over 100 miles of track on two divisions: VA, which runs through MD, WV, and VA, and NJ, in southern NJ.

New partnership enables rail service for ten million square feet of new development within the 6,000- acre global industrial park called River Ridge Development Authority.

Access 25 Logistics Park spans 300 acres and is strategically positioned in Northern Colorado at the junction of CR 34 and I-25. Being situated within Access 25 offers exceptional highway visibility, connecting Metro Denver, Colorado, and extending even further.

The new rail-serviced park has The Home Depot’s brand-new 386,000 sq. ft. distribution center as its centerpiece. This park boasts dual rail access provided by OmniTRAX, a rail affiliate of The Broe Group, making it the closest and the sole dual rail-serviced park in the Denver Metro region.

OmniTRAX, has deployed its first all-battery electric locomotive with a ceremony that included dignitaries from Ohio’s Environmental Agency, the Port of Cleveland, AMPS Traction, and NSR customers. 

OmniTRAX was named the exclusive railroad operator for Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon. This partnership is set to boost the port’s economic impact, support multi-modal access, and foster significant growth in the region’s logistics and industrial development.