SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Georgia Ports Authority opened its new $134 million inland rail terminal, known as the Gainesville Inland Port, in Gainesville on May 4.
Formerly known as the Blue Ridge Connector, the new port is designed to reduce truck traffic in the Atlanta area and strengthen Northeast Georgia’s business competitiveness.
The facility has an annual capacity of 200,000 containers and was created give shippers a rail option that’s more efficient and cost-effective.
Port officials said the Gainesville Inland Port will offer local manufacturers — including poultry, heavy equipment and forest product companies — a more efficient way to reach international markets through a direct connection to Savannah’s global ocean carrier network, which handles 40 ships per week.
This new infrastructure provides direct rail service five days a week between northeast Georgia and Savannah, serving as an alternative to a 600-mile round-trip truck route.
This port is projected to replace an estimated 26,000 truck round trips in its first year alone, reducing trucks on Georgia’s highways and in the Atlanta region and improving air quality.
Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch pointed out these benefits at the March 24 GPA Board meeting.
“We’re already seeing positive customer engagement, and Norfolk Southern will bring an excellent level of service working together with GPA,” Lynch said.
To mitigate the new railyard’s traffic impact on the Gainesville area, GPA invested $4.8 million in Hall County projects that were completed in 2025.
These projects included eliminating an at-grade rail crossing, which avoids local traffic disruption from trains. It also included rerouting White Sulphur Road and surfacing Cagle Road.
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