S.C. Public Railways consolidates under new name

   The South Carolina Public Railways has changed its name and those of each of its operating divisions to the Palmetto Railways to provide a unified brand for marketing its freight rail lines and streamline administrative functions.
   A state-owned utility, Palmetto Railways is a division of the South Carolina Department of Commerce. South Carolina is called the Palmetto state after a distinctive tree.
   The separate rail operations – Port Utilities Commission of Charleston, Port Terminal Railroad of South Carolina, and East Cooper & Berkeley Railroad – will now operate under the name “Palmetto Railways.” The transaction will not affect service levels, existing operations or the competitive balance with Class I or short line carriers, the Department of Commerce said.
   The railroad provides switching services on terminals of the state port authority in Charleston as well as at Santee Cooper’s Cross Generating Station, the East Port Industrial Park in Summerville and operates a short line railroad in Berkeley County serving BP Chemicals and Nucor Steel. It also serves companies such as MeadWestvaco, Frontier Logistics, SSA Marine, Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation.