The Georgia Ports Authority is expanding its rail cargo capacity to move containers across the state and into the Midwest with greater speed and efficiency, according to GPA General Manager of Inland Operations Wesley Barrell.
Speaking at the inaugural Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Logistics Forum on Tuesday, Aug. 6, Barrell said development of the Blue Ridge Connector, near Gainesville, Ga., is progressing.
“Construction is moving along well. With another six weeks of earthwork, the rail yard grade will be met, allowing for additional engineering to advance,” Barrell said. “We are working closely with Norfolk Southern on tying our infrastructure into their existing track.”
When complete, the 104-acre site will feature six tracks for a total of 18,000 feet. The facility will create 20 direct local jobs. The inland port will link Northeast Georgia with the Port of Savannah’s 36 global container ship services that call each week. Norfolk Southern Railroad will provide five-day a week service to the Blue Ridge Connector, which will operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. GPA will provide expedited service from Savannah to the BRC with third day availability.
To the crowd gathered at Lanier Technical College in Gainesville, Barrell said there is great interest in the new rail terminal from local businesses such as poultry producers.
“We will offer refrigerated cargo by rail, with this unique transit from the Blue Ridge Connector to Savannah,” he said. “There are five cold storage freezers within five miles of our location, and more than 50 users of those cold storage facilities. We look to provide services to this customer base.”
Slated to open in 2026, the $127 million facility will serve an existing customer base, which also includes producers of heavy equipment and forest products.
“As shown by the impact of our first inland terminal, the Appalachian Regional Port, the BRC will also act an economic catalyst for Northeast Georgia, bringing jobs and opportunity,” Barrell said. “Presently, nearly 10,000 Hall County jobs are in industries that rely on Georgia Ports.”
An existing, locally owned company recently began operation of a foreign trade zone in the area, where import cargo may be held for storage, assembly or manufacturing without payment of duties until the goods move into the domestic market. Located within 10 miles of the BRC, the FTZ was established to serve international cargo moving through the rail yard, and will give cargo owners greater flexibility in the timing of their supply chain.
For port customers, intermodal service to Savannah will offer a competitive transportation option, with reduced carbon footprint through lower emissions per container. The presence of the inland terminal in Hall County will provide a ready source of empty containers for exports produced in the region.
Customers will no longer need to truck containers through Hall County to the Port of Savannah, because shorter routes to the inland port will become possible. Additionally, every container moved by rail means fewer trucks on state highways moving through the Atlanta area. The Blue Ridge Connector will have an annual capacity of 200,000 containers.
MASON MEGA RAIL
Georgia Ports’ inland rail connections are supported by the largest on-port intermodal facility in North America, the Port of Savannah’s Mason Mega Rail Terminal.
“With 24 miles of on-terminal track, Mason Mega Rail provides ample space to take on new rail business,” Barrell said.
Capable of serving six 10,000-foot trains simultaneously, Mason Mega Rail doubles Georgia Ports’ previous intermodal capacity to 2 million TEUs a year. It is integral to GPA’s “1,2,3” cargo strategy — one day off the vessel, two days transportation, and third day availability.
“That unmatched capacity links Savannah to a broad swath of inland markets through Class I rail service,” Barrell said. “By speeding the flow of cargo, Mason Mega Rail is changing the way cargo reaches a wide network of inland destinations from Atlanta and Dallas to Memphis, Chicago and other destinations across the Midwest.”
Cargo moves from vessel offload to departing rail in Savannah in just 29 hours, the fastest of any major U.S. port.
STRATEGIC RAIL STRATEGY
The Blue Ridge Connector is the latest step in GPA’s strategic rail strategy.
Beyond the Savannah market, the Georgia Ports Authority operates the Appalachian Regional Port in Northwest Georgia.
Barrell said customers can take advantage of inland ports to move cargo closer to destination markets by rail, reducing overall supply chain emissions compared to all-truck transit.
In Fiscal Year 2024, ended June 30, GPA achieved record trade of 36,730 rail lifts at its ARP, a 9 percent increase over FY2023, which was itself a record year for the terminal near Chatsworth in Northwest Georgia.
Georgia Ports has landed some major accounts that have located near the Appalachian Regional Port, including GE Appliances, LG and solar technology producer Hanwha Qcells, which is now on its third expansion.
Other goods handled at the ARP include carpet and flooring, automotive manufacturing components, and tires, among other products. With easy access to Interstate 75 and U.S. 411, target markets include Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
A recently added offering is the Carolina Connector service, which links the Port of Savannah to Rocky Mount, N.C., via CSX rail. Barrell said the speed of the connection means importers can get access to cargo before it could even be offloaded at another East Coast port. For exporters, the inland terminal in Rocky Mount provides significant reductions truck transit times. From the Raleigh-Durham area, a driver can reach the CSX yard in 30 minutes, instead of three hours to the nearest to mid-Atlantic port.
