The railroad was formerly a RailAmerica property before going independent, and in 2008 it was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.[1] Traffic includes chemicals, clay, grain, peanuts, plastics, stone, and wood, generating around 13,000 annual carloads.

The first ran 130.7 miles (210.3 km) from Rhine west through Richland and Omaha, Georgia before crossing over the Chattahoochee River and terminating at Mahrt, Alabama.

A second line originated at Columbus, and traveled south through Cusseta and Richland, before ending at Bainbridge, Georgia, 127.9 miles (205.8 km).

CSX sold the line from Columbus to Lynn to the Georgia Southwestern in 1989, concurrently with the sale of the Rhine - Mahrt route.

[13] 1995 brought numerous changes to the Georgia Southwestern network, and the portion of the route from Cusseta to Cuthbert became redundant and was subsequently abandoned in that year, with the rails being removed in September 1997.

Among these changes were the acquisition of Norfolk Southern tracks between Columbus and Americus (now abandoned), as well as trackage rights over NS to Albany.

Additionally, two sister South Carolina Central Railroad divisions operating nearby were merged into Georgia Southwestern during the same period.

[17] In 2006, the Georgia Southwestern purchased from Norfolk Southern, the entire 79 miles (127 km) of track from Smithville to White Oak that had been leased up until that point.

[13] The 2002 purchase of the remaining line from Dawson to Sasser by the Georgia DOT was included with the sale of the Cuthbert - Bainbridge as well as the Columbus - Cusseta routes.

[14] Norfolk Southern suffered from a pair of large tropic storms in the mid-90s, losing services over the Ochille - Americus "O" line.

[13] Only one additional acquisition was made by the Georgia Southwestern, which was the line from a quarry north of Columbus to Allie, purchased from Norfolk Southern in 2005.

Additionally trackage rights remained over Norfolk Southern between BV&E Junction near Americus south to Albany and over CSX between Bainbridge and Saffold.

[1][26] The GF&A was an important predecessor of GSWR, constructing and operating much of the route from Richland to Bainbridge, Tallahassee, and Carrabelle, Florida, until absorbed by the Seaboard in 1928.