Planned spur helps Sandersville Railroad gain two more customers

Sandersville Railroad Co. recently identified Veal Farms Transload LLC and Revive Milling LLC as additional users of its upcoming rail spur in Hancock County, Georgia.

Veal Farms Transload and Revive Milling will leverage the 4.5-mile spur to transport refined grain ingredients and other agricultural products to food producers and biodegradable plastic manufacturers, Sandersville Railroad officials said in a press release.

To be fully operational by 2024’s end, the spur will connect with a CSX line that runs along Georgia Highway 16 in Hancock County to the Heidelberg Materials aggregate quarry in Sparta. The spur will enable Veal Farms and Revive Milling to reach new customers they can’t currently serve because of rail service limitations and high transportation costs, Sandersville Railroad officials said.

The rail spur will also provide farmers in central Georgia with more cost-effective access to consumers of their agricultural products — such as soft red winter wheat, organic corn, rapeseed and soybeans — resulting in increased demand for Georgia-grown crops, they said.

Sandersville Railroad plans to operate one train trip daily on the spur, Monday through Friday, at a speed of 20 mph or less. The short line currently operates six days per week on a 37-mile system, including 10 miles of mainline that features an interchange with Norfolk Southern Railway in Tennille, Georgia.