Trains will transport most cars made at Hyundai plant, company says

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – The Hyundai Motor Company’s new Savannah plant will utilize rail to transport the majority of their automobiles, according to a Savannah Morning News report.

Buzz about the massive, 16-million-square-foot plant has increased with the announcement that around 70% of the 300,000 new electric vehicles produced at the site will be hauled by train to commercial destinations.

Hyundai sought modifications to a federal environmental permit early this year allowing for an additional siding track on the line to accommodate the heavy traffic flow of autorack rail cars on and off the mainline track.

“Due to the production volume associated with the (Hyundai) facility, it was determined that rail siding would need to be installed along the existing line to accommodate the large increase in the number of rail cars,” the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority wrote in their request to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). “The rail siding will provide needed space for rail cars specifically servicing the facility while maintaining an open and operational main line.”

Approval of the siding would mean the elimination of 5 acres of wetland in addition to the 221 acres already removed for the Hyundai project.