Georgia Ports Advances Inland Rail Hub Plan (Gainesville, Hall County, GA)

The Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) Network Georgia plan to develop inland rail hubs around the state is gaining momentum, with federal environmental approval for an inland terminal near Gainesville, Ga., GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch reported May 11.
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GPA recently received NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) approval for the Northeast Georgia Inland Port in the Gainesville-Hall County area. The authority will now finalize a grant agreement with the Maritime Administration (MARAD), which has awarded GPA a grant of up to $46.8 million to build a new inland container port along the I-85/I-985 corridor. Earthwork is slated to begin in July, with terminal construction scheduled to begin January 2024 and wrap up by July 2026.

Georgia Ports anticipates the inland rail hub will open with volumes of 60,000 containers per year. With the roundtrip truck route totaling 602 miles, this opening volume would alleviate approximately 36 million truck miles on Georgia highways in the terminal’s first year of operation. GPA estimates 46 of truck traffic between Northeast Georgia and Savannah will use rail instead. Cargo moving to the region by rail will reduce truck use from seven hours to less than 30 minutes. The shift will avoid 1.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) emissions by 2054, Lynch said.
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