Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) $134 million Gainesville Inland Port opened May 4 and now is offering daily direct rail service between the inland manufacturing hub and the Port of Savannah.
The inland port provides shippers with an alternative to the 600-mile roundtrip truck route. Prior to the port’s opening, approximately 80 percent of Savannah’s cargo moved inland by truck and only 20 percent by rail.
“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 CEO Griff Lynch said. “Manufacturers across the region now have a seamless rail connection to more than 40 weekly vessel calls linking to global markets.”
The rail route saves 250 miles and reduces the number of trucks on Georgia’s highways. The port’s truck gates can process between 14,000 and 16,000 daily moves with single moves in 30 minutes and dual turns in less than 50 minutes. It can make 40 vessel calls weekly and has an industry-leading rail dwell of 20 hours or less. Forty-two double-stack trains link inland markets.
During the first year of operation, GPA expects to shift 26,000 containers to rail. At full build-out, it will have an annual capacity of 200,000 containers.