Earnings per Share Basic and Diluted EPS (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended
	Dec. 13, 2016	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Numerator [Line items]
Net income attributable to Genesee & Wyoming Inc.		$ 26,238	$ 27,019
Denominators [Line Items]
Weighted average Class A common shares outstanding – Basic		61,413,000	57,025,000
Weighted average Class B common shares outstanding		758,000	793,000
Dilutive effect of employee stock-based awards		182,000	146,000
Weighted average shares - Diluted		62,353,000	57,964,000
Earnings per common share [Line Items]
Basic earnings per common share attributable to Genesee & Wyoming Inc. common stockholders:		$ 0.43	$ 0.47
Diluted earnings per common share attributable to Genesee & Wyoming Inc. common stockholders		$ 0.42	$ 0.47
Common Stock [Member] | Class A Common Shares [Member]
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, New Issues	4,000,000