Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has secured federal environmental approval for its Gainesville inland terminal project as part of its "Network Georgia" plan to develop rail hubs around the state.

Griff Lynch, executive director of GPA noted that the expanding network is increasing rail capacity and connectivity between the port and major manufacturing sites around the state.

"Moving more cargo by rail eases interstate traffic and reduces the carbon footprint of the state's logistics industry by making the most efficient use of Georgia's logistics infrastructure," Lynch said.

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 U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, and then move on to construction.

In a statement, GPA noted that it was awarded by U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), a grant of up to US$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 in January 2024 and wrap up by July 2026.

Growth in rail volumes

Georgia Ports noted that it anticipates the inland rail hub will open with volumes of 60,000 containers per year.

With the roundtrip truck route totalling 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.

Meanwhile, GPA said its first inland terminal, the ARP is celebrating its fifth year of operation with strong volumes. For the fiscal year to date through April, the ARP has handled 28,552 containers, an increase of 23% or 5,400 containers compared to the same period last year.

In West Central Georgia, the Authority has also acquired a 200-acre site for another new inland port in LaGrange adjacent to CSX rail.

At the Port of Savannah, construction of the Mason Mega Rail Terminal has increased rail capacity to 1 million containers per year, rerouted Norfolk Southern trains away from neighbourhood crossings, and brought rail switching onto the port.

"It's been mutually beneficial to the port and our neighbours, by increasing our capability while simultaneously improving quality of life in our surrounding communities," Lynch said.

"Expansion projects spanning our berths, terminal space and rail infrastructure are delivering the capacity we need to handle our projected growth for decades to come," he added.

The Georgia Ports Authority recorded its third busiest April ever last month, with 408,686 twenty-foot equivalent container units of cargo, behind April 2022 (495,782 TEUs) and April 2021 (466,633).

The port's volume last month constituted a 12% increase over its pre-pandemic performance in April 2019, when Garden City Terminal handled 364,481 TEUs.