Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Ports Authority officials celebrated the grand opening of the $134 million Gainesville Inland Port on Thursday, marking a new connection between Northeast Georgia’s manufacturing economy and international markets through the Port of Savannah.
The ceremony followed the terminal’s operational opening on May 4. The facility provides direct Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) rail service between Gainesville and Savannah five days a week, giving regional businesses an alternative to the roughly 600-mile round trip by truck.
“Georgia’s ports are a major reason companies choose to invest and create jobs here, and the Gainesville Inland Port brings that advantage directly to Northeast Georgia,” Kemp said. “Connecting this region to the Port of Savannah with new supply chain options makes it easier for Georgia businesses to reach customers around the world and helps ease congestion on our highways.”
The inland terminal extends Savannah’s port services into a region with more than 330 manufacturers, including poultry, heavy equipment and forest products businesses. Its rail connection gives shippers access to Savannah’s network of approximately 40 weekly vessel calls.
“With the start of operations in Gainesville, we’re extending the reach of the Port of Savannah deep into Northeast Georgia,” Georgia Ports President and Chief Executive Griff Lynch said when operations began. “Manufacturers across the region now have a seamless rail connection to more than 40 weekly vessel calls linking to global markets.”
Georgia Ports expects the terminal to shift 26,000 containers to rail during its first year of operation, reducing truck traffic and emissions on highways across Georgia, including in the Atlanta region. The agency has not disclosed volume at Gainesville since it opened.
Gainesville is the latest inland hub serving a major East Coast port. Georgia Ports also operates the Appalachian Regional Port serving Savannah, while South Carolina’s inland ports at Greer and Dillon handle boxes from the Port of Charleston. Virginia Inland Port at Front Royal, and North Carolina’s Charlotte Inland Port, alsop connect inland cargo markets to U.S. East Coast seaports by rail, although their terminal arrangements differ.
The 104-acre facility, formerly known as the Blue Ridge Connector, is designed to handle 200,000 containers annually at full build-out. It also offers access to Interstates 85 and 985.
Georgia Ports also funded $4.8 million in surrounding road improvements, including rerouting an access road, eliminating an at-grade rail crossing and resurfacing another road.
The opening comes amid industrial growth in Gainesville-Hall County. Since 2020, 78 new and expanding businesses have added more than 4,800 jobs and $2 billion in capital investment, according to figures cited by Georgia Ports. Manufacturing, processing and logistics account for 33% of the area’s workforce.
The Gainesville terminal is part of Georgia Ports’ nearly $5 billion, 10-year expansion program, which also includes additional cargo berths in Savannah and Brunswick.
Why it matters: The Gainesville Inland Port gives Northeast Georgia manufacturers a rail alternative to trucking goods to Savannah, a connection state officials say will lower freight costs, support industrial growth and reduce highway traffic.
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