SAVANNAH, Ga. | Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) new inland port in Gainesville will open May 4, 2026, a development that GPA says will strengthen Northeast Georgia’s attractiveness and business competitiveness. With a direct rail connection to Savannah’s 40 ships per week global ocean carrier network, local manufacturers — including poultry, heavy equipment, and forest product companies — can reach international markets more efficiently.
Direct rail with five day a week service between Northeast Georgia and Savannah gives shippers an alternative to a 600-mile roundtrip truck route. That will reduce trucks on Georgia’s highways and in the Atlanta region.
Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch says: “Our new inland rail facility in Gainesville will significantly offset truck traffic congestion in Atlanta and improve air quality by replacing an estimated 26,000 truck roundtrips in the first year alone. We’re already seeing positive customer engagement. Norfolk Southern will bring an excellent level of service working together with GPA.”
At full build-out, the $134 million Gainesville Inland Port (formerly known as the Blue Ridge Connector) will have an annual capacity of 200,000 containers.
To reduce the new railyard’s traffic impact on local communities in Gainesville, GPA funded $4.8 million in Hall County projects, eliminating an at-grade rail crossing, rerouting White Sulphur Road and surfacing Cagle Road. The new White Sulphur route south of the inland terminal ensures free access for emergency vehicles and avoids traffic disruption from trains. Equally important, the resurfacing of Cagle Road offers an improved alternative for residents. Both projects were completed in late summer 2025.
GPA is carrying out a nearly $5 billion infrastructure investment plan over the next decade to expand berths, yards, gates, inland ports and rail capacity. GPA Board Chairman Alec Poitevin of Bainbridge says: “New infrastructure assets take planning and time to build. We believe in a steady investment that delivers port capacity ahead of our customers’ future needs. This enables our customers to plan long-term for the future and have confidence their supply chain keeps pace with growth.”
Meanwhile, GPA’s $1.6 billion renovation of Ocean Terminal in Savannah is progressing. Phase one will open in July 2027. Phase two opens in December 2028. The dock will stretch nearly 2,700 feet, allowing two large ships to dock simultaneously. Ocean Terminal’s renovated container yard will open in phases starting in July 2027 through December 2028. A new gate complex at Ocean Terminal with 12 inbound and six outbound lanes will open by November 2026, while a new GPA-funded $29 million overpass is open now, enabling trucks to enter straight onto the I-16 corridor, keeping traffic off neighborhood streets.
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