GCF strengthens foothold in North America

Lone Star Railroad acquisition completed

The acquisition by GCF - Generale Costruzioni Ferroviarie of Lone Star Railroad Contractors, LCC., an American company headquartered in Ennis, Texas, in the metropolitan area south of Dallas, was successfully completed in recent weeks.

Founded in 1993 by the Newman family, the company operates in the construction and maintenance of railroad lines and bridges mainly in Texas, where it has two operating offices in addition to its headquarters, as well as in neighbouring Arkansas and Oklahoma, but its market extends across the entire Southwest of the United States where it has contracts in eight states, including New Mexico, Kansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana.

Lone Star Railroad Contractors employs approximately 80 highly qualified and highly skilled employees and counts among its customers many rail facilities of private industries, regional railway companies, and some of the so-called 'Class 1' rail freight companies nationwide.

For six consecutive years, it has been honoured by the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Inc. (NRC) with the Gold Level Safety Award, for the development and maintenance of specific procedures for a safe working environment in the railway construction sector.

Over the past five years, Lone Star Railroad Contractors' annual revenues have averaged about $23 million.

In the transaction, GCF was able to count on the active collaboration of UniCredit, which fully financed the acquisition.

The strategic transaction is part of the progressive consolidation of GCF's presence in the overseas market and, in particular, in North America - where it already operates successfully in Canada through its subsidiary Platinum Track Services Inc. acquired in November 2021 - strengthening its order book and reinvigorating its ability to respond promptly and reliably to the investment programs promoted in the rail and metro infrastructure sector.