Georgia DOT partners with NS to fund freight-rail improvements

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has approved an $8.4 million grant for Norfolk Southern Railway's McDonough passing track improvement project in Henry County.

The grant will help cover a portion of the $21 million project, which calls for building a passing track on NS' busy rail line between Macon and Atlanta, GDOT officials said in a news release. The corridor connects the Georgia Port Authority's Garden City Terminal at the Port of Savannah and the metro Atlanta area.

The work will extend the current passing track in McDonough to more than double its current length, helping to prompt a more efficient use of the tracks and reduce blocked grade crossings on the line, GDOT officials said.

The grant funding will help NS enhance service for local customers, improve mainline train access across the railroad’s 22-state network and ease congestion along the corridor, said NS Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Mike McClellan.

"These infrastructure improvements will bolster our operational efficiency while driving economic growth across the region, promising enduring benefits for our communities," he said.

The grant is part of a new freight-rail funding program developed by GDOT.