Genesee & Wyoming’s Georgia Central Railway links up with Agile Cold Storage in Central GA

By Andrew Meadows, AJOT

Genesee & Wyoming’s Georgia Central Railway is partnering with Agile Cold Storage to transport large quantities of frozen food products across the Southeast.

Once the process is in full swing, Georgia Central expects to haul more than 15 million pounds of frozen potato products monthly, which upon arrival will be handled by Agile at its Macon, GA warehouse along the Georgia Central line. The frozen potato products will be distributed to restaurant chains, food service distributors, and grocers across the Southeast.

The move marks a big leap forward for both companies. Georgia Central continues to diversify its customer base by tapping into the cold-storage market, while Agile moves its temperature-controlled freight beyond frozen proteins at its state-of-the-art Macon warehouse. The short line Georgia Central runs 211 miles from Macon to Savannah, hauling mostly agricultural products, lumber and forest products, minerals and stone, and pulp and paper.

“Because there is a minimum of cold storage in the Southeastern United States, this is a big deal,” said Trevor Wilhelmy, AVP of Sales and Marketing at Genesee & Wyoming. “Agile Cold Storage is a leader in temperature-controlled logistics with a growing presence, and we hope this is the start of a long relationship between the two companies in the region and beyond.”

The frozen potato products are manufactured on the West Coast and transported cross country through Chicago and then to Macon via the Class I network. Both Georgia Central and Agile termed the process in the “ramping up phase.”

John Ripple, Agile’s Chief Development Officer, said total freight could grow two-and-a-half times depending on infrastructure and building expansion.

“The building is currently full with the existing customer base, though with additional volumes and customers being served by rail.” said Ripple. “This initial phase could lead to an expansion in Macon in the near future.”

Agile opened the 230,000 square foot, $80 million cold storage facility in Macon late last year. It represents Agile’s first multi-modal solution allowing customers to ship via truck, rail, or containers. The facility will include frozen and deep-freeze temperature zones to ensure products are blast frozen and maintained at the highest levels of quality. Agile plans to capitalize on the growth in the Savannah metro area including the Port of Savannah.

Georgia Central rehabbed an old rail spur for the Agile partnership and committed to investing fully in the project. The railroad, which was acquired by G&W in 2005, offers shippers access to two Class I railroads.

Some of the initial Agile shipments utilize 64-foot Union Pacific reefer cars that can fit 70-90 pallets per car, Ripple said.