Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad


The Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad is a Class III railroad owned and operated by RailUSA in the Florida Panhandle. The line consists of 373 miles of track running from Baldwin, Florida west through Tallahassee to Pensacola. The line also has a short branch from Tallahassee north to Attapulgus, Georgia. The line connects to CSX lines in Baldwin, Pensacola, and Attapulgus. The line was once the route of Amtrak's Sunset Limited when it extended beyond New Orleans to Orlando. Amtrak service was suspended due to Hurricane Katrina and never resumed east of New Orleans.
The line began operation on June 1, 2019, after RailUSA acquired the line from CSX Transportation.

Lines and history

The 373 miles of the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad comprise the main line between Baldwin and Pensacola, as well as the Bainbridge Branch between Tallahassee and Attapulgus, connecting with CSX Transportation rails at each end of the line. CSX has trackage rights on the line but plans to use them only if their lines to the north are impassable.

Baldwin to Chattahoochee

The main line dates back to the mid-1800s. The line from Baldwin to Chattahoochee was first built as the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad from Lake City to Jacksonville in 1857. The Pensacola and Georgia Railroad built the line between Quincy and Lake City which was completed by 1863. The line would then be extended east to Chattahoochee to connect with the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad.
In 1882, the lines were acquired by Sir Edward Reed, and were renamed together as the Florida Central and Western Railroad. Two years later, Reed brought the Florida Central and Western and several other Florida railroads he had purchased under the umbrella of what was named the Florida Railway and Navigation Company, which, in 1888, was renamed the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad. In 1900, a year after purchasing the majority of FC&P stock, the newly organized Seaboard Air Line Railway leased the FC&P and, in 1903, acquired it outright. CSX previously operated this segment as their Tallahassee Subdivision.

Chattahoochee to Pensacola

The main line continues west from Chattahoochee to Pensacola, Florida. This segment of the main line was originally built in 1881-1883 by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, operating it as a subsidiary, the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad. William D. Chipley and Frederick R. De Funiak, both of whom are commemorated in the names of towns later built along the P&A line, were among the founding officers of the P&A. The line was merged into the L&N in 1891. In 1982, the L&N was merged into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which in 1986 became part of CSX Transportation, operating this segment as its P&A Subdivision.

Bainbridge Branch

The Bainbridge Branch runs from the FGAR Mainline in Tallahassee north to Attapulgus, Georgia, where it connects to CSX's Bainbridge Subdivision, which continues north to Bainbridge, Georgia. The Bainbridge Subdivision was first built in 1901 by the Georgia Pine Railway. The line was only intended to be a shortline for logging, but since it provided an additional rail route from Georgia into Florida, traffic increased. As a result, the line was renamed the Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railway by the end of 1901. The GF&A Railway bought the Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Georgia Railroad in 1906, which ran from Tallahassee south to Carrabelle.
The Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railway, which extended from Richland, Georgia, to Carrabelle, Florida, at its greatest extent, became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1927. The Seaboard lines, after various other mergers, became part of CSX Transportation in 1986.
This line was previously part of CSX's Bainbridge Subdivision. The line's milepost numbers begin in Tallahassee at 52 and increase from there. This is due to the fact that the numbering still reflects the line's full length to Carrabelle, which was mile 0 before the track between there and Tallahassee was abandoned.