Earnings per Share Basic and Diluted EPS (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Dec. 13, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Numerator [Line items]
Net income attributable to Genesee & Wyoming Inc.		$ 46,007	$ 48,399	$ 72,245	$ 75,418
Denominators [Line Items]
Weighted average Class A common shares outstanding – Basic		61,551,000	57,187,000	61,472,000	57,106,000
Weighted average Class B common shares outstanding		747,000	793,000	753,000	793,000
Dilutive effect of employee stock-based awards		117,000	137,000	146,000	137,000
Weighted average shares - Diluted		62,415,000	58,117,000	62,371,000	58,036,000
Earnings per common share [Line Items]
Basic earnings per common share attributable to Genesee & Wyoming Inc. common stockholders:		$ 0.75	$ 0.85	$ 1.18	$ 1.32
Diluted earnings per common share attributable to Genesee & Wyoming Inc. common stockholders		$ 0.74	$ 0.83	$ 1.16	$ 1.30
Common Stock [Member] | Class A Common Shares [Member]
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, New Issues	4,000,000