The
Central of Georgia Railway started as the
Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to
Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constructed to join the
Macon and Western Railroad at
Macon, Georgia, and run to
Savannah. This created a rail link from
Chattanooga, on the
Tennessee River, to
seaports on the
Atlantic Ocean. It took from 1837 to 1843 to build the railroad from Savannah to the eastern bank of the
Ocmulgee River at Macon; a bridge into the city was not built until 1851.