The Georgia Ports Authority’s new inland port in Gainesville, Georgia is scheduled to open on May 4, 2026, providing Northeast Georgia manufacturers with direct rail access to the Port of Savannah’s global ocean carrier network.
The facility, formerly known as the Blue Ridge Connector, represents a US$ 134 million investment and will have an annual capacity of 200,000 containers at full build-out.
The inland port will offer five days per week rail service between Gainesville and Savannah, providing shippers with a direct alternative to a 600-mile roundtrip truck route.
In its first year of operation, the facility is projected to eliminate an estimated 26,000 truck roundtrips, reducing congestion on Georgia’s highways and in the Atlanta region while improving regional air quality.
Key industries expected to benefit include poultry processing, heavy equipment manufacturing and forest products companies operating across Northeast Georgia.
GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch highlighted the facility’s potential to offset truck traffic congestion in Atlanta and expressed confidence in the level of service Norfolk Southern will bring to the operation.
To mitigate the railyard’s traffic impact on local communities, GPA invested US$ 4.8 million in Hall County infrastructure improvements, including the elimination of an at-grade rail crossing, the rerouting of White Sulphur Road and the resurfacing of Cagle Road.
Both projects were completed in late summer 2025.
The rerouted White Sulphur Road ensures uninterrupted access for emergency vehicles and reduces disruption from train movements through the area.
The Gainesville opening forms part of GPA’s broader US$ 5 billion infrastructure investment plan covering the next decade, which encompasses berth, yard, gate, inland port and rail capacity expansion.
The US$ 1.6 billion renovation of Ocean Terminal in Savannah is also progressing, with phase one scheduled to open in July 2027 and phase two in December 2028.
