Ares buys railcar lessor Infinity from KKR for $2.9B
What's the deal? KKR has agreed to sell Infinity Transportation, a full-service railcar and intermodal equipment lessor, to Ares ManagementDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → for an enterprise value of about $2.9 billion. The buyers are AresDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Infrastructure Equity and Ares Insurance Solutions funds. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, pending regulatory approvals.
What each side brings: Founded in 2004 and based in Atlanta, Infinity owns roughly 50,000 railcars leased to more than 350 customers across the US, Canada, and Mexico, spanning automotive, logistics, agriculture, and mining. KKR has owned the business for about five years, building a standalone platform and increasing book value by 150%.
Why Ares? Ares plans to back Infinity's management team, fund further fleet growth, and pursue acquisitions. "Infinity's railcar portfolio is a critical component of the US transportation and logistics supply chain," said Mike Roth, partner in Ares Infrastructure Equity, and Anup Agarwal, head and chief investment officer of Ares Insurance Solutions.
Why now? Ares framed the demand backdrop around reshoring of manufacturing and investment in domestic industrial capacity. Infinity's "high-quality, long-lived assets are well suited for long-term investment," the executives said.
The signal: The sale lands amid a wave of large-scale investment in railcar assets. In January 2026, GATXDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and BrookfieldDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → completed a roughly $4.2 billion purchase of Wells Fargo's portfolio of about 101,000 railcars, while deals involving MarubeniDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Fuyo LeaseDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → point to continued investor appetite. For KKR, it marks an exit after half a decade; for Ares, a scaled, income-generating platform in a market where institutional investors are actively building railcar portfolios.
Read more: marketscreener.com
Image credit: Dai Lygad
