Pinsly Restores Freight Service on Alabama’s Former Three Notch Line, Reopening as the Georgiana & Andalusia Railroad

Published: February 21, 2026

ANDALUSIA, Ala. — After more than a year without trains, freight rail service has returned to a key industrial corridor in southern Alabama. Jacksonville, Florida-based Pinsly Railroad Company has completed a major rehabilitation of the former Three Notch Railroad/Three Notch Railway route and reopened the 36-mile short line under a new name: the Georgiana & Andalusia Railroad (GAR).

The reopening marks the end of a disruptive hiatus for local manufacturers and economic-development officials who say the line’s shutdown in 2024 forced freight onto trucks and limited the region’s ability to compete for new industry. Now, with track repairs completed and interchange access restored at Georgiana, community leaders are pitching the rail-served corridor as a renewed growth asset for Covington County and surrounding communities.

Three Notch Railroad GP38 #2821 and GP40 #9707, then under Gulf & Ohio's umbrella, idle at Andalusia, Alabama on June 6, 2003. Doug Kroll photo.

GAR connects Andalusia with Georgiana, Alabama, where the railroad interchanges with CSX—a critical connection that enables local industries to reach national rail markets. Pinsly and multiple trade outlets describe the route as a 36-mile short line, with service concentrated near Andalusia, where major customers sit at or near the end of the line.

Pinsly’s anchor customers on the restored line include Shaw Industries Group (flooring/carpet manufacturing) and Arclin (materials/polymers-related products), both cited by Pinsly and industry publications as primary shippers whose rail access helped justify the investment.

The corridor had been operated by Genesee & Wyoming through its Three Notch Railway subsidiary since 2011. But by late 2024, track conditions had deteriorated to the point that rail operations were halted—an interruption that local officials in Andalusia have described as one of the toughest periods they can remember for the area’s industrial logistics.

Pinsly assumed operations in late 2025 after purchasing the property, and immediately positioned the short line as a “fix-and-grow” project—one requiring substantial infrastructure spending to bring the route back to dependable freight standards.

The rehabilitation: $6 million and a heavy track program

Pinsly and multiple industry outlets report that GAR invested more than $6 million in infrastructure rehabilitation to restore service. Among the upgrades included more than 38,000 crossties replaced on the railroad. In practical terms, tie replacement at that volume typically signals a push to stabilize track geometry, improve ride quality, and enable higher speeds and heavier axle loads—key requirements for attracting and retaining industrial customers that rely on consistent cycle times and damage-free shipping.

“First railcars in over a year” delivered in January

By mid-to-late January 2026, trains were running again. Trains reported that the first railcars in more than a year were delivered on Jan. 20, 2026, while Railway Age similarly noted that “the first railcars in over a year” were delivered to customers on Jan. 20, restoring regional rail service. Pinsly marked the milestone with public events: a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 20 while local officials held a Jan. 29 celebration in Andalusia to commemorate the rehabilitation and return to service.

GAR’s transition from the prior operator also followed the Surface Transportation Board’s notice-and-exemption process. In a Federal Register filing (STB Docket No. FD 36879), Georgiana & Andalusia Railroad, LLC, described as a noncarrier at the time of filing, sought authority under 49 CFR 1150.31 to replace Three Notch Railway, L.L.C. as operator on two connected segments:

A 33-mile line from the CSX interchange at Georgiana to Andalusia (the “Georgiana Line”), and
A 2.64-mile segment in Andalusia (the “Andalusia Line”).

The filing stated that GAR would purchase track and rail-related improvements from the prior operator, assume a lease tied to CSX for underlying land on the Georgiana Line, and assume a lease for the Andalusia Line from the Andalusia & Conecuh Railroad Company—while also certifying shipper notice and setting an effective consummation window on or after Oct. 4, 2025.

Jacob Morgan, president of the Covington County Economic Development Commission, described the rail shutdown as a bleak period and said it became possible to “get back on track” once Pinsly entered the picture. Officials also pointed to the state’s economic-development toolbox, noting that rail access can help a community compete for site-selection programs and industrial recruitment.

Pinsly executives echoed that strategy in statements carried by trade outlets, emphasizing partnership with shippers, CSX, and local communities, and casting the capital work as a long-term bet on growth in the region.

Short lines often succeed or fail on the same fundamentals that challenged the former Three Notch operation: track condition, interchange fluidity, and the ability to align capital spending with customer needs. By putting $6 million into a 36-mile route—plus executing a substantial tie program—Pinsly is signaling that it sees the Andalusia corridor as more than a marginal branch. It’s a strategic industrial connector capable of keeping major manufacturers on rail and potentially attracting new rail-served development.

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