— Our —

History

1986

January 1, 1986

1986

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.

1986

January 2, 1986

1986

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.

1992

January 1, 1992

1992

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.

1992

October 1, 1992

1992

In October 1992, OmniTRAX purchased 800 miles of track in Kansas and Oklahoma from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. The main lines of track stretched from Salina, Kansas, to Osborne, Kansas, and from Marion, Kansas, to Scott City, Kansas. OmniTRAX formed the Central Kansas Railway to run on the lines. The Kansas Southwestern Railway merged into the Central Kansas Railway in May 2000.

1993

January 1, 1993

1993

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.

1994

January 1, 1994

1994

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

1995

May 1, 1995

1995

 OmniTRAX leased the Northern Ohio & Western Railway near Toledo, OH.

1996

January 2, 1996

1996

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.

1998

January 1, 1998

1998

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

2004

January 1, 2004

2004

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.

2005

January 1, 2005

2005

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.

2011

January 1, 2011

2011

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.

2014

June 1, 2014

2014

The Sand Springs Railway was acquired in 2014 and marked OmniTRAX’s first railroad in Oklahoma.

2014

June 1, 2014

2014

OmniTRAX enters into agreement to operate Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railway (BRG) bringing its number of rail subsidiaries to 19. This made OmniTRAX the third largest shortline railroad company in the United States.

2014

December 1, 2014

2014

By the end of 2014, the firm also controlled the Peru Industrial Railroad, a 3-mile switching railroad in Peru, Illinois.

2016

February 1, 2016

2016

OmniTRAX purchased the Heart of Texas Railroad and renamed it Central Texas & Colorado River Railway.

2016

March 1, 2016

2016

The company enters into an agreement with Topflight Grain to operate the railroad under the new name of Decatur Central Railroad which ended on 8/27/2020.

2016

September 1, 2016

2016

In September 2016, it acquired the 146-acre former Gerdau steel mill site in Sand Springs. OmniTRAX worked with the Broe Real Estate Team to build residential, retail, industrial, logistics, and transportation buildings and facilities there.

2019

January 1, 2019

2019

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.

2019

January 1, 2019

2019

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.

2019

April 1, 2019

2019

Break ground on $70M Dual Served Georgia Industrial Park and Sign Long-term Lease with Anchor-Tenant at Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub

2020

January 1, 2020

2020

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.

2021

January 1, 2021

2021

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.

2022

January 1, 2022

2022

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.

2022

June 1, 2022

2022

OmniTRAX has been chosen as the sole rail partner for the Tulsa Port of Catoosa. As one of the largest and most inland ports in the United States, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa serves as a central hub for numerous barges, facilitating the transportation of millions of tons of cargo to and from the heartland of America.

2023

January 1, 2023

2023

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. 

2023

June 1, 2023

2023

OmniTRAX has made an official agreement with the West Virginia Department of Transportation to run and expand the South Branch Valley Railroad (SBVR). SBVR is now part of OmniTRAX’s rail network, which includes the strong Winchester and Western Railroad (WW). SBVR becomes the 26th rail network in the OmniTRAX rail network. 

Railroad Transportation: Powering North American Businesses

Our rail services include: rail transportation, car storage and switching for both small and large companies.

OmniTRAX Owned Real Estate Across North America

Contact our Industrial Development team today. We are ready to Power your Business though Rail and Real Estate.No matter what type of project you are pursuing, we are committed to finding a solution that is effective for your business operations

Move Cargo Seamlessly Through Transloading Services

Did you know that you don’t need to have rail tracks at your facility to ship your cargo by rail? No Rail? No Problem.

About Us

About Us

Company history and a message from the CEO.

Our Railroads

View all North American-managed railroads.

Leadership

Executive Leaders.

History

A brief timeline of events that have shaped OmniTRAX.

Real Estate

The Denver-based Broe Group directs a multibillion-dollar portfolio of real estate.

Board Members

Broe Group and OmniTRAX board members.

CAREERS POWERED BY RAIL AND REAL ESTATE

Check out the job openings we have at our affiliates’ various locations around North America.

OmniTRAX offers numerous career opportunities in an industry that built the foundation of America.

As one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing transportation companies, OmniTRAX empowers its team members to support each other and work on challenging projects that have a direct impact on the way our nation runs.

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