he Heart of Georgia Railroad was founded in 1999 to operate shortline service across the state of Georgia on 219 miles of track leased from the Georgia Department of Transportation. Previous line owner Georgia SouthWestern received portions of the line from a Seaboard System abandonment in 1983. The Georgia SouthWestern ended operations in 1999, after which the state purchased the entire line from Vidalia in the east to Mahrt in the west, and then sought an operator. This route was once operated by the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery Railroad, formed in 1888, a successor to the Americus, Preston & Lumpkin Railroad. The original SAM mainline between Savannah and Montgomery, Alabama, would later be absorbed into the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, until segments of the line were spun off by successors Seaboard System and CSX Transportation in the early and late 1980s.

The original Heart of Georgia operated the line until 2017, when shortline operator Genesee & Wyoming purchased the HOG and incorporated the railroad into its Coastal Region. Today the HOG connects with sister G&W property Georgia Southwestern at Americus, and with the Georgia Central at Vidalia. HOG serves an inland intermodal terminal at Cordele, and for a time it provided daily direct rail service via the Georgia Central to the Port of Savannah for auto, agricultural products, and other merchandise. Class 1 interchange is maintained with CSX Transportation at Cordele and Norfolk Southern at Americus and Helena. The western end of the line is out of service from Preston onward. In addition to freight operations, the railroad also hosts the SAM Shortline heritage train. The tourist train equipment is owned managed by the Southwest Georgia Railroad Excursion Authority and the HOG provides locomotives and operating crews.