Livonia Avon and Lakeville Railroad

What Livonia Avon and Lakeville Railroad does

The Livonia Avon and Lakeville Railroad (LA&L) is a privately held short line freight railroad incorporated and headquartered in Lakeville, New York. It operates as part of a family of four affiliated regional freight railroads — LA&L, B&H Rail Corp., Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad (WNYP), and Ontario Midland Railroad (OMID) — that share leadership, commercial support, customer resources, and development experience while maintaining distinct service territories across New York and Pennsylvania. The company earns revenue primarily through transaction-based freight transportation (moving railcars across its regional network with interchange connections to Class I carriers Norfolk Southern and CSX), transload services for off-rail customers, railcar storage, and industrial development (rail-served property, track design, and site selection support). Published public tariffs and quote-based pricing govern freight and transload rates, while storage and development services are structured as managed and professional services engagements.

LA&L serves seven primary industrial verticals: Agriculture/Feed/Fertilizer, Food Manufacturing, Steel & Metals, Construction Materials, Plastics & Resins, Sand/Minerals/Bulk Materials, and Industrial Development. Its go-to-market combines enterprise field sales (VP Sales & Marketing and Business Development Representatives engaging directly with manufacturers and developers), inside sales and customer service, and self-service digital tools including the RVP+ customer portal (powered by Wabtec's RailConnect platform and provided at no subscription cost to approved customers), the TrackSiteIQ-powered property search tool, and a Railcar Specification & Conversion Tool. Marketing channels include educational content, organic social (Railcar Tuesday posts), direct business development outreach, and community engagement such as Operation Lifesaver safety presentations and Congressional visits.

The company is a member of a recognized industry family — Bob Babcock, President and CEO, was named to Railway Age's Most Influential Railroaders for 2025 — and is actively engaged with policymakers on Section 45G short line railroad tax credit modernization. The LA&L railroad family reports that more than $400 million in customer investment is announced or currently being developed for new and expanded rail-served operations along affiliated lines, signaling an active industrial development pipeline across the NY/PA footprint.

Name

Livonia Avon and Lakeville Railroad

Legal name

Livonia Avon and Lakeville Railroad Corporation

Website

https://lalrr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Livonia Avon and Lakeville Railroad is a privately held short line freight railroad operating as part of a four-affiliated-railroad family (LA&L, B&H Rail, WNYP, OMID) serving industrial customers across New York and Pennsylvania with freight transportation, transload, railcar storage, and industrial development services connected to Class I carriers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Short Line Rail Freight Services

NAICS

Short Line Railroads (482112), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (488210), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Short Line & Regional Railroads (General Merchandise) (TLADACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic Intermodal Rail-Truck (COFC/TOFC) (TLADAFAA), Unit Train & Dedicated Contract Rail Services (TLADACAK), Rail Bulk Commodities Forwarding (Grain, Minerals, Coal, Chemicals) (TLACADAI)

Keywords

• Short line railroad
• Freight rail transport
• Transload services
• Railcar storage
• Industrial development

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Transportation: Core revenue from moving freight via railcars across regional network with connections to Class I carriers for national reach. Revenue based on commodity, volume, distance, equipment, and commercial terms.
2. Transload Services: Revenue from transferring freight between railcars and trucks at transload facilities when facilities lack direct rail siding access. Supports off-rail manufacturers in accessing rail economics.
3. Railcar Storage: Revenue from storing railcars at railroad facilities, yards, and designated storage locations.
4. Industrial Development: Revenue from developing rail-served properties, track design services, and site selection support for industrial customers seeking rail access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LA&L provides regional short line freight rail transportation services across New York and Pennsylvania, including direct freight movement via railcars, transload services (rail-to-truck and truck-to-rail) at facilities lacking direct siding, railcar storage at yards and designated locations, and industrial development support including rail-served property development, track design, and site selection. As part of a family of four affiliated short line railroads (LA&L, B&H Rail, WNYP, OMID), the company offers customers a unified commercial approach with Class I connections (Norfolk Southern, CSX) for national market access.

Product overview

The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad offers a portfolio of freight rail services organized around core rail transportation, transloading, railcar storage, and industrial development. The company operates four affiliated regional short-line railroads (LA&L, B&H Rail, WNYP, and OMID) serving New York and Pennsylvania. Digital offerings include RVP+ (a Wabtec RailConnect-powered customer portal for railcar visibility, inventory management, and planning) and a Railcar Specification & Conversion Tool for equipment planning. The product architecture combines physical rail infrastructure services with web-based customer tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RVP+ (Rail Visibility & Planning): A customer portal for railcar visibility, inventory management, service requests, and planning through Wabtec RailConnect platform

Products and services

• Freight Rail Services Core freight rail transportation services including lane evaluation, commodity handling, railcar selection, and routing for manufacturers, agricultural producers, and industrial customers across New York and Pennsylvania. Provided via the four-affiliated LA&L railroad family with Class I interchange connections.
• Transload Services Transload facility access enabling off-rail customers to use rail for long-haul transport while receiving local truck delivery, supporting commodities including agriculture, construction materials, plastics, steel, and bulk materials.
• Railcar Storage Railcar storage services providing secured equipment placement options for customers needing temporary or long-term railcar storage at railroad facilities, yards, and designated storage locations.
• Industrial Development Rail-served property development and site selection support, including coordination of property, track, utilities, operating fit, and long-term freight strategy for industrial expansion projects.
• RVP+ Rail Visibility & Planning Customer portal providing railcar visibility, inventory management, switch instructions, shipment tracking, and demand forecasting for LA&L railroad family customers. Powered by Wabtec RailConnect, provided at no subscription cost to approved customers.
• Railcar Specification & Conversion Tool Educational planning tool enabling users to compare railcar equipment types, understand load limits and capacities, and estimate annual railcars required based on truck volume inputs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20-40% transportation cost reduction compared to truck-only moves
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Norfolk SoutherncoreTechnology or IntegrationClass I railroad partner providing interchange connections that extend LA&L regional freight service to national markets across North America. Critical for connecting customers to suppliers, processors, ports, and markets beyond the regional network.
• CSX TransportationcoreTechnology or IntegrationClass I railroad partner providing interchange connections extending LA&L's regional rail service to national freight network. Enables customers to reach destinations across the broader North American rail system.
• B&H Rail Corp.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated short line railroad serving Steuben County territory. Part of LA&L railroad family sharing leadership, commercial support, customer resources, and development experience while maintaining distinct regional operations.
• Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad (WNYP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated short line railroad serving Southern Tier and northwestern Pennsylvania. Part of LA&L family providing extended New York-Pennsylvania corridor service to industrial and bulk customers.
• Ontario Midland Railroad (OMID)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated short line railroad serving Wayne and Monroe Counties. Part of LA&L family providing freight rail, transload, storage, and development support across the Ontario Midland territory.
• WabteccoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing the RailConnect platform that powers the RVP+ customer visibility portal. WabtecOne portal serves as the access point for LA&L family railroad customers to manage railcar visibility, inventory, and service requests.
• U.S. Representative Claudia TenneysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCongressional representative for New York's 24th District who visited LA&L headquarters in June 2026 to discuss short line rail investment, 45G tax credit modernization, rail grant programs, and regional economic impact of freight rail service.
• TrackSiteIQsupportingTechnology or IntegrationRail site intelligence platform used for the interactive property search tool on LA&L's development page, enabling customers to explore rail-served development opportunities across the railroad family network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad: Short line railroad operating in western New York and central Pennsylvania with freight, transload, and industrial development offerings; overlaps LA&L's territory and competes for similar agricultural and industrial customers in the region.
• New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway: Short line railroad operating across New York and Pennsylvania with freight and transload services; directly comparable in scale, geography, and customer verticals including agriculture and industrial materials.
• Watco Companies: Privately held holding company operating 40+ short line railroads across the U.S., offering freight, transload, and industrial development services; a structurally similar privately owned multi-railroad family competing for similar regional industrial customers.
• Finger Lakes Railway: Short line railroad operating in the Finger Lakes region of New York with freight and transload services; directly comparable geography and customer base, competing for similar agricultural and industrial shippers in upstate New York.
• Wellsboro & Corning Railroad: Short line railroad operating in north-central Pennsylvania with freight and transload services; comparable in scale and target customers, particularly in the Pennsylvania industrial corridor adjacent to LA&L's WNYP territory.
• Reading & Northern Railroad: Privately owned regional/short line railroad serving Pennsylvania and surrounding states with freight, transload, and industrial development services; one of the most operationally comparable private short lines to LA&L in size, geography, and customer mix.
• Rochester & Southern Railroad: Short line railroad operating in western New York with freight and transload services; geographic peer to LA&L serving similar Rochester-area industrial and agricultural customers.

Broad incumbents

• CSX Transportation: Class I railroad and core interchange partner for LA&L; comparable as the larger-scale operator whose service quality and routing decisions directly affect LA&L's shipper value proposition.
• Norfolk Southern: Class I railroad and core interchange partner for LA&L; while not a direct competitor, it defines the broader rail market LA&L operates within and sets the commercial terms under which LA&L serves national-lane freight.
• Genesee & Wyoming Inc. One of the largest short line railroad operators in North America, now owned by Brookfield Infrastructure following the CPKC/GW&C transactions; directly comparable to LA&L as a multi-region short line holding with freight, transload, and industrial development offerings.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/lalrailroad
• Facebookfacebook.com/lalrailroad
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lalrr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Livonia Avon and Lakeville Railroad