New business: South Carolina rail route will see first trains since 2012

Palmetto Railways is reactivating operations on its 40-mile Salkehatchie Subdivision, a former short line through Hampton and Colleton counties in southwestern South Carolina that last served customers in 2012.

With two new customers building facilities along the line, the state-owned railway has invested more than $3 million in route rehabilitation including bridge improvements, tie replacement, track servicing, and upgrades to safety equipment. An additional $6.5 million in infrastructure work is planned over the next two years.

The Salkehatchie Sub, which interchanges with CSX at Hampton, S.C., is currently seeing training of train crews, along with continuing maintenance-of-way activities. Railcar movements are expected to begin later this month. With train movements beginning late in March, Palmetto has begun a campaign to raise local rail safety awareness, working with county leadership, local law enforcement, and fire and emergency services.

Jennifer Brown, Palmetto’s director of industrial development, said in an email that Heidelberg Materials has begun development of its facility along the railway. Heidelberg, a supplier of cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, and asphalt with more than 450 U.S. locations and about 9,000 employees, announced plans in 2025 to locate on the line. Also, wood products company Boise Cascade will begin construction of a new facility this fall.