Rail News: M&A
Catalyst Paper to acquire Apache Railway as part of paper mill deal

The Apache Railway Co. is changing hands again. Catalyst Paper Corp. recently reached an agreement to acquire AbitibiBowater's Snowflake, Ariz., recycled newsprint mill, the 38-mile short line and other assets for $161 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter.

Apache Railway operates a line between the Snowflake mill and a BNSF Railway Co. interchange in Holbrook. AbitibiBowater (then Abitibi Consolidated) acquired the short line from Stone Container Corp. in 1999. Incorporated in 1917, Apache Railway provided passenger-rail service until the 1950s.