SRR Building Business in Hancock County, GA
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
(SRR Photograph)
Sandersville Railroad Company (SRR) on Sept. 5 confirmed that two more shippers will use its planned rail spur in Hancock County, Ga.
The 4.5-mile Hanson Spur will connect a CSX line that runs along Georgia’s Highway 16 to the Heidelberg Materials aggregate quarry in Sparta, Ga. According to SRR, Veal Farms Transload and Revive Milling, located in nearby Sandersville, have signed on to use the spur to transport refined grain ingredients and other agricultural products to food producers and biodegradable plastic manufacturers. The railroad last month announced the addition of Pittman Construction as an another spur user.
Expected to be in service by the end of 2024, the spur will be SRR’s first expansion in Hancock County. It will offer one trip each weekday at 20 mph or less and generate more than $1.5 million in projected annual economic benefit, the railroad said. SRR operates over a 37-mile system, which includes 10 miles of main line with an interchange with Norfolk Southern in Tennille, Ga.
“The Hanson Spur will allow Veal Farms and Revive Milling to reach new customers that they cannot currently serve due to rail service limitations and high transportation costs,” according to SRR. “The rail spur will also provide local farmers in middle Georgia with more cost-effective access to consumers of their agricultural products.”
Commented Cale Veal, Managing Member of Veal Farms Transload, LLC and Revive Milling, LLC: “The new spur will reduce our transportation costs on behalf of the farmers we work with and allow us to move agricultural products like soft red winter wheat, organic corn, rapeseed and soybeans into new markets.”
