An official with the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) says Gainesville’s Inland Port, under construction north of town, is on target for its planned Spring opening.
Flavio Batista commented this week as he announced that a similar facility in northwest Georgia, the Appalachian Regional Port (ARP) achieved its busiest November on record, moving 3,876 containers last month — a nearly 35 percent jump from a year earlier.
“Our customers are experiencing a very strong, smooth running supply chain for their exports and imports using the Appalachian Regional Port. This enables them to compete and win more business in world markets,” said Batista, Georgia Ports Chief Commercial Officer.
The roughly 1,000-container gain underscores the inland terminal’s expanding role as a logistics hub, he added.
The rail facility provides daily service, with seven outbound and seven inbound trains per week to and from the Port of Savannah. Located near Chatsworth, the rail-served terminal connects directly to Savannah via CSX. Each container railed to the Port of Savannah through the inland hub eliminates about 710 roundtrip truck miles.
The ARP handled more than 41,000 containers in fiscal 2025, which ended June 30, 2025.
Through the first five months of fiscal 2026, the ARP has processed 20,030 containers, up 20 percent from the same period a year earlier.
Gainesville’s Inland Port
Port officials expect strong demand at the facility, known as the Blue Ridge Connector (BRC), considering its location only 50 miles from Atlanta, and proximity to Interstate 85 and local industry. The Blue Ridge Connector will serve a manufacturing and logistics corridor in northeast Georgia with a regional population of more than 2 million people.
It will be served by Norfolk Southern railway.