Minnesota Commercial Railway (MNNR) is the 17th short line to be added to the portfolio of Regional Rail, the 3i-backed holding company whose operations span nine U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The 86-mile MNNR serves the Twin Cities area in Minnesota and interchanges with four Class I’s (BNSF, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Union Pacific and CN) and the Twin Cities & Western.
It hauls metals, fuel and oil, chemicals and plastics, food and agriculture, and lumber, and owns and operates Commercial Transload of Minnesota (CTM), which provides warehousing, transloading, and trucking services to local manufacturers in the region.
Since partnering in July 2019, 3i and Regional Rail have grown from three railroads in the Northeast to 17 across North America (see map below). In addition to MNNR, their other railroads are Burns Harbor Railroad; Carolina Coastal; Cincinnati Eastern Railroad; East Penn; Effingham Railroad Company; Florida Central; Florida Northern; Florida Midland; Great Sandhills Railway, a Railway Age 2025 Short Line of the Year Honorable Mention; Illinois Western; Indiana Eastern Railroad; Middletown & New Jersey; Port Manatee Railroad; Ohio South Central Railroad; South Point & Ohio Rail; and Tyburn.
Regional Rail also provides railroad-crossing signal design, construction, inspection, and maintenance services to short line and industrial customers in 21 U.S. states via the company’s Diamondback Signal subsidiary.
“We are honored that Becky Gohmann has entrusted Regional Rail to continue the legacy established by the late John Gohmann at the Minnesota Commercial, and we are excited to partner with the team at the MNNR and CTM to expand these operations and strengthen the business for the future,” Regional Rail President and CEO Al Sauer said. “We look forward to building on the company’s track record of high-quality service and providing the team with the expanded resources of our broader platform to drive additional growth.”
“Minnesota Commercial is a great fit for Regional Rail’s strategy of partnering with strong local operators, while preserving the legacy and history of its founder,” commented Rob Collins, Managing Partner and Head of North American Infrastructure at 3i. “We look forward to providing continued support to Regional Rail for all future opportunities.”
“I am very proud of John’s leadership and dedication to the Minnesota Commercial Railway, as well as the dedication and hard work of our employees,” noted Rebecca Gohmann, who owned MNNR with her husband, John Gohmann. “I believe Regional Rail is a great fit to continue the legacy my husband started in 1987 of supporting our employees, our customers, and new growth opportunities.”
