Georgia's logistics sector continues to expand, with new rail and freight infrastructure reshaping how goods move through metro Atlanta and the surrounding counties. The transportation and logistics industry employed nearly 293,000 people in the state in 2023, roughly one in every 16 jobs, and generated a total economic impact of about $107 billion, close to double its $54 billion impact in 2010.
Rail investment is a major driver. Norfolk Southern has put more than $1 billion into Georgia projects since 2021, including nearly 25,000 feet of new siding in the McDonough and Locust Grove area of Henry County, described as the longest in the state. The railroad is also modernizing the high-traffic Howell Wye junction in Atlanta to unlock added capacity and expanding intermodal terminals at Austell and Macon.
The proposed 2027 merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern would create the first transcontinental railroad in the United States, a change that could reduce the number of carrier handoffs for freight moving between the Midwest and the Southeast. The merger application also outlines relocations and cuts among Atlanta headquarters positions, leaving roughly 980 employees in the region.
State officials project that freight movement in Georgia will nearly double over the next quarter-century. Georgia is slated to receive a $65 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration for rail improvement projects, which state agencies are aligning with long-term freight corridor plans across the Atlanta metro.
Source: Georgia Trend -- https://www.georgiatrend.com/2026/03/31/logistics-boom-in-georgia/