The Georgia Port Authority (GPA) is expanding its inland rail network by adding new facilities and enhancing service in its active facilities.
The Georgia Port Authority (GPA) is expanding its inland rail network by adding new facilities and enhancing service in its active facilities. Inland ports are becoming more widely available in states from New York to California.
“The GPA’s Network Georgia initiative is establishing a series of inland ports aimed at shifting long-haul routes to rail, avoiding millions of truck miles through the state each year,” said a GPA representative. “These inland terminals offer more efficient alternatives for supply chain management, expand Georgia’s rail network into additional markets, and alleviate pressure on the state’s road infrastructure.”
Blue Ridge Corridor Will Be Operational Later This Year
The GPA is nearing completion of its $134 million inland port in Gainesville. The facility will provide direct rail service between Northeast Georgia and Savannah. The next steps include the GPA fully commissioning the terminal’s seven all-electric rubber-tire gantry cranes (RTGs). The facility will provide direct rail service between Northeast Georgia and Savannah. The GPA is working with communities in Northeast Georgia to minimize the new railyard’s traffic impact on residents.
“We contributed $4.8 million to Hall County projects, eliminating an at-grade crossing, rerouting White Sulphur Road, and surfacing Cagle Road,” said a GPA representative. The new White Sulphur route south of the inland terminal ensures free access for emergency vehicles and avoids traffic disruption from trains. Cagle Road resurfacing offers an improved alternative for residents. Both projects were completed in late summer 2025.
“We’re excited to see the progress at our new Gainesville facility, and what it will mean for the state of Georgia,” said GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch. “Having a rail connection in the region will enhance Northeast Georgia as an attractive location for businesses that rely on global logistics.”
The rail terminal links directly to the Port of Savannah, and companies in Northeast Georgia, from poultry producers to manufacturers of heavy equipment and forest products. They will be able to participate in the global economy by shipping goods to and from major international markets.
“By bringing global market access to the doorstep of local businesses,” said a GPA representative, “We expect the inland terminal in Gainesville to act as a magnet for job creation.”
Appalachian Regional Volumes Up
The Appalachian Regional Port (ARP) achieved its busiest November on record in 2025, moving 3,876 containers during that month, a nearly 35% increase from the prior year. The ARP handled 41,000 containers during the port’s fiscal year 2025, which ended June 30, 2025. Through the first months of the fiscal year 2026, the ARP has processed 20,030 containers, up 20% from the same period a year ago.
The ARP provides seven-day-a-week service from the Port of Savannah. With a 30-hour transit from the marine terminal departure to the ARP, cargo is available for next-day pickup at the terminal in Crandall. According to port officials, dual truck moves at the ARP take only 20 minutes to deliver an export container, pickup, and import, according to port officials.
GPA said that it strives to maintain positive relationships with rail partners, to ensure good service to shippers using inland ports. “The Port of Savannah delivers an industry-leading dwell time of 18 to 24 hours from vessel offload to departing rail through its on-terminal Mason Mega Rail facility, the largest on-port rail yard in North America,” according to a GPA representative.
The ARP offers daily CSX service on a direct 388-mile rail route to and from the GPA’s Garden City Terminal and serves as an alternative to full-truck drayage to and from the deepwater Port of Savannah for target markets in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Port officials say the ARP can handle 75,000 containers, with potential for expansion if needed. Major commodities handled at the ARP, located in Crandall, Georgia, include carpet, flooring, automotive manufacturing, and tires, as well as other goods.
The terminal also has a designated GPA-operated container yard on site. With the proper chassis, GVW can increase to 100,000 lbs. (45,359 kg). GPA officials said that customers using ARP have full visibility into cargo loading to rail, arrival at ARP or Savannah, and availability for pick-up via webaccess.gaports.com.
“The ARP is a strong operational service for supply chains,” said Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy. “With easy access to Interstate 75 and US 411, the ARP is ideally located to generate business opportunities and drive economic growth for Northwest Georgia.” Located less than an hour from Chattanooga, the ARP also serves Tennessee customers.”
Inland ports, like the ARP, allow customers to stage cargo closer to its end destination, then make shorter truck hauls to reach the customer’s designated location. These facilities also offer an efficient solution to hours of service (HOS) supply chain challenges. A truck driver is subject to regulations that limit the number of hours permitted for driving. If a driver is stuck in traffic or kept waiting at a port or rail terminal, they could run out of available hours without reaching their destination or even being in a place suitable for truck parking. An on-site staff of 14 is available at ARP to assist drivers and other users of the facility. The ARP provides import and export intermodal service, and each round-trip container that is moved via the ARP offsets 710 truck miles on Georgia highways.
GPA Plans to Continue Investing in Inland Ports
In addition to the ARP and the Blue Ridge Corridor, the GPA also owns and operates the inland port of Bainbridge, Georgia. This facility is located on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Waterway, or Tri-Rivers System. The facility is equipped to handle a variety of bulk cargo, including nitrogen solution, gypsum, ammonium sulfate, urea, cotton, and cypress bark mulch.
For the long term, the GPA has targeted Western Georgia for its next inland rail facility.
