It was built in 1901 by the Plant System to allow trains from the northeast to Florida to bypass their busy terminal in Waycross.

The Folkston Cutoff would shorten it by about 16 miles and would bypass the Plant System's busy terminal in Waycross.

The Folkston Cutoff would be one of the last additions to the Plant System before it was sold to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902.

In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation.

This segment is designated as the Nahunta Subdivision and it remains an important route for trains running from the northeast to Florida.