A preview of what’s ahead for Hall Co.?

The Appalachian Regional Port in northwest Georgia set a record last month for intermodal cargo, according to a Dalton newspaper.

The Citizen-News reports that the inland rail terminal, similar to one now being built in Hall County, moved 3,600 containers in May.

Inland ports are designed to provide port an alternative to an all-truck route to and from the Port of Savannah.

The Georgia Port Authority (GPA) says each round-trip container moved via the one in northwest Georgia reduces energy consumption and offsets 710 truck miles on Georgia highways. The $26.7 million facility opened in 2018.

Opening in 2026, the Hall County terminal, known as the Blue Ridge Connector, will serve a range of industries including consumer goods, heavy equipment, food, and forest products. Once completed, it will have 18,000 feet of trackage and a capacity of 200,000 lifts annually, building upon the nearly 20 percent of GPA’s container cargo that moves by rail today.

(Pictured: Artist rendering of Blue Ridge Connector)