Georgia Central Railway Named Regional Railroad of the Year

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Georgia Central Railway Named Regional Railroad of the Year

2026-02-24 23:19 Last Updated At：23:31

LYONS, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 24, 2026--

Georgia Central Railway, L.P., a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W), was named Regional Railroad of the Year by Railway Age magazine this week, an award honoring exceptional achievement in a freight railroad’s innovation, marketing, customer service, safety performance and overall operational excellence.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224229599/en/

Georgia Central was awarded for improving Federal Railroad Administration-reportable injuries by 80% over two years, scoring 8.8 out of 10 in overall satisfaction in its biennial customer survey, investing to expand capacity and efficiency, growing traffic by more than 36% over five years and being one of the first two railroads in North America to receive FRA approval to pilot test zero-emission technology from Parallel Systems. In addition, more than $6 billion in customer investments in industrial development projects have occurred along the line since 2020, including Hyundai Motor Group’s manufacturing Megaplant in the Savannah area.

“G&W is extremely proud of the Georgia Central team for this well-deserved recognition," says Michael Miller, G&W CEO. "The story of the Georgia Central clearly demonstrates how investing in a railroad, hustling for growth and providing world-class service can be a recipe for success. The future looks bright at Georgia Central for decades to come.”

Georgia Central spans nearly 200 miles from Savannah to Macon, Georgia, and offers customers connection to the broader North American freight-rail network via interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern. The railroad also boasts more than 20 industrial development sites along its line.

See the Railway Age story here.

About G&W
With more than 100 owned or leased freight railroads, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is the largest short line railroad holding company in North America. The company’s subsidiaries and joint ventures serve 2,000 customers over more than 13,000 miles of track and also provide rail service at more than 30 major ports, rail-ferry service between the U.S. Southeast and Mexico, transload services, and industrial railcar switching and repair. G&W is owned by Toronto-based Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, L.P., as well as GIC.

Mexican cartel clashes fuel worries in lead up to FIFA World Cup

TAPALPA, Mexico (AP) — Maria Dolores Aguirre’s family corner store has lived off tourism that has flowed into her charming cobblestoned town of Tapalpa, tucked away in the mountains of Jalisco state.

That was until gunshots erupted and helicopters flew overhead as the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug lord, just a few kilometers (miles) from her home.

Now, the 50-year-old Aguirre worries that the bloodshed will deal a blow to her livelihood and change towns like hers. It is something many in the western Mexican state are grappling with, from its Pacific Ocean beaches to its capital Guadalajara that will host matches in June for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“It’s going to affect us. It’s collateral damage,” Aguirre said. “The government is going to have to have a lot of security. … The entire world just saw what happened and, of course, people are going to think twice about coming.”

President Claudia Sheinbaum was asked at her daily news briefing on Tuesday what guarantees there are that World Cup matches will be held in Jalisco. “Every guarantee, every guarantee," she said, adding that there was “no risk” for fans coming to the tournament.

Fighting between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Mexican security forces raged on in a number of states Monday, fueling fears among many like Aguirre that there will be more violence to come.

More than 70 people died in the attempt to capture Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and its aftermath, authorities said Monday. Known as “El Mencho,” he was the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against Mexican government officials.

The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries. The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of “El Mencho."

The death of Oseguera Cervantes came as Mexico's government has stepped up its offensive against cartels in an effort to meet demands by U.S. President Donald Trump to crack down on criminal groups, threatening to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.

Mexico hoped the death of one of the world’s biggest fentanyl traffickers would ease that pressure, but many people were anxious as they waited to see the powerful cartel’s reaction.

Oseguera Cervantes died after a shootout with the Mexican military on Sunday. Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Ricardo Trevilla said Monday that authorities had tracked one of his romantic partners to his hideout in Tapalpa. The cartel leader and two bodyguards fled into a wooded area where they were seriously wounded in a firefight. They were taken into custody and died on the way to Mexico City, Trevilla said.

In the aftermath, a sense of unease simmered in tourist towns.

The Pacific Ocean resort city of Puerto Vallarta also was hard hit by cartel reprisals, frightening tourists.

Steve Perkins, 57, was visiting Puerto Vallarta with his wife Gayle and some friends. They were on their hotel room's terrace when explosions and black smoke started appearing around the city Sunday morning.

Their return to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was delayed when their flight was canceled Monday and they were rebooked for March 1.

Perkins and his wife have been taking annual trips to Puerto Vallarta since 2012 and have always felt safe, until now. He said they don’t plan on returning to Mexico.

“There’s a lot of Americans trapped here,” Perkins said.

Aguirre worked next to her son from the small neighborhood shop her family has owned for 50 years. The 15-year-old's classes were canceled due to the violence.

Aguirre said it was unclear who exactly was in control of the area surrounding her: the military or the cartel. The other question on her mind was if this was just a one-off, or if there was more violence to come.

“We don't know if these people (cartel leaders) are permanently here or not,” she said. “If they really did kill this leader, it could be that they fight between each other to win control or see who will lead it.”

Associated Press writer Juan Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.