State Rail Network
Class I Railroads
| CSX Transportation | 1,538 |
| Norfolk Southern | 1,706 |
| Total | 3,244 |
Short Line Railroads
| Adams-Warnock Railway | 1 |
| Athens Line | 17 |
| CaterParrott Railnet | 66 |
| Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad | 27 |
| Chattooga & Chickamauga Railway | 53 |
| Total | 1,585 |
Moving Georgia's Economy. Connecting Communities.
With the most extensive rail network and largest intermodal hub in the southeast, Georgia is well positioned for success in the global economy of the 21st century.
Originating
Received
State Grants
HB 735 (passed 2018)
Dept. of Community Affairs Equity Fund
Rail Heritage
Atlanta exists because of a railroad stake in the ground. When the Western and Atlantic Railroad, chartered by the state legislature in 1836, sent an engineer to mark its southern terminus, the settlement that grew up around the spot was first called Terminus before it became Atlanta. The Georgia Railroad, chartered a few years earlier out of Augusta, helped connect the state’s interior to the coast. Under state operation, the Western and Atlantic eventually linked Georgia to Midwestern markets and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year into the state treasury. That early network of lines built the city and the commerce that still runs through Georgia today.
Why Freight Rail Matters
Supports Manufacturing
Rail connects manufacturers with suppliers and customers across North America, efficiently moving raw materials and finished goods.
Strengthens Agriculture
Rail helps move crops, forest products, fertilizers and other agricultural goods efficiently and affordably.
Reduces Congestion
Moving freight by rail removes trucks from highways, helping reduce traffic and wear on road infrastructure.
Protects the Environment
Freight rail is significantly more fuel efficient than moving freight by truck, helping reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Rail at Work
Safety FRA Data Shows Major Rail Safety Gains in 2025
Washington, D.C. – New data from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) shows 2025 was a historic year for freight rail safety. Accident and injury rates…
Regulation Op-ed: Georgia needs to pay attention to California train rule
Atlanta, GA — In an op-ed published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Transportation Alliance Executive Director Seth Millican outlined why a rail policy being considered by the…
Infrastructure Focus on Rail Infrastructure: Our Favorite Projects
If you’ve ever read our blog, you might be familiar with some of the big rail infrastructure stats—say, for example, the length of the North…
44 percent
decrease
in rail rates on average from 1981 to today.
That means the average rail customer today can ship significantly more freight for about the same price they paid 40 years ago.
State Director
Georgia
Christy Sammon
State DirectorChristy Sammon joined GoRail in May 2015. She has over 15 years of experience in the governmental relations field.
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