(Source: Genesee & Wyoming press release, October 1, 2019)
LYONS, Ga. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) today announced that its subsidiary Georgia Central Railway, L.P., a 211-mile short line freight railroad operating between Macon and Savannah, has upgraded its entire line to handle 286,000-lb. railcar loadings, matching the capacity of connecting national railroads.
Georgia Central Railway, a 211-mile short line freight railroad operating between Macon and Savannah, has upgraded its entire line to handle 286,000-lb. railcar loadings, matching the capacity of connecting national railroads.
Enabling customers to ship and receive 286,000-lb. railcars increases Georgia Central’s competitiveness compared to other modes of transportation. The railroad had been limited to 263,000-lb. loadings due to the capacity of some of the 55 bridges on the line. In recent years, Georgia Central invested $4 million in projects to achieve 286,000-lb. capacity, including installation of 3,200 bridge stringers and 10,000 crossties. The most recent phase involved upgrades to the Pendleton Creek bridge, a 1,500-foot-long trestle with 119 spans.
“This is an important milestone in ongoing improvements to the Georgia Central’s ability to serve the growing Savannah market, including industrial development projects that will utilize the Georgia Port Authority’s Garden City container terminal,” said Andy Chunko, Georgia Central president. “An additional $8 million of investments are planned to increase track speed to 25 mph across the line, via a $4-million federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program grant announced in June and an accompanying $4-million match by Georgia Central. The combination of 286k loadings and higher speeds will help us win a greater share of our customers’ freight volumes and make the line even more attractive to new industrial development.”
In April 2019, G&W announced that Georgia Central will serve a $172-million plastics distribution facility under construction at the 197-acre Savannah Port Logistics Center on its line in Pooler, Ga. The new facility is expected to ship more than 5,000 annual carloads commencing in late 2019.