Railroad’s Route, Interchanges and Industrial Development Capabilities Check All the Boxes for Customer

Georgia Central Railway’s (GC) route and Class I interchanges made the railroad an ideal fit to serve a major new Plastic Express distribution center in Pooler, Georgia.

In 2017, G&W’s industrial development team met with Capital Development Partners about developing industrial land around GC. The two teams approached Plastic Express in 2018 about locating its new, state-of-the-art facility on the 197-acre Savannah Port Logistics Center, served by GC. The railroad, which runs 211 miles from Macon to Savannah and connects with CSX and Norfolk Southern, provides a link between customers that utilize the bustling Port of Savannah and the new plastic-distribution facility.

The location near Savannah and access to two Class I railroads made GC an ideal choice to serve this new $172 million facility. We have worked with G&W at other terminal locations across the country, but the focus of G&W’s industrial development team and the railroad’s flexibility to meet our transportation needs made them an easy choice to partner with on this project.

Ray Hufnagel, Plastic Express president and CEO

After several meetings that included participation from state and local economic development corporations, G&W’s industrial development group provided complimentary track-design concepts to demonstrate how GC could serve the Plastic Express site. Ground was broken June 2018, and the railroad began hauling bulk plastic resin to the Pooler transloading center in late 2019. The resin and other bulk commodities are repackaged and trucked to the nearby Port of Savannah for export to international markets.

“Attracting Plastic Express was a team effort,” says Michael Miller, president of G&W North America. “Capital Development Partners, the State of Georgia, Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia Central Railway and G&W’s industrial development team worked collaboratively to create a solution that met the needs of Plastic Express and their customers. This win demonstrates how important it is to work together to attract new business and further strengthens our presence in Georgia. We look forward to working to bring additional business to the site.”

GC runs 211 miles in eastern Georgia, hauling agricultural products, lumber and forest products, minerals and stone, and pulp and paper.