Cargo moved by rail at the Port of Savannah reached 47,132 containers in January, an increase of 10,000 boxes, or 27%, that shows the facility’s increasing ability to deliver cargo to inland customers via freight trains, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) said today.
Overall, GPA handled 428,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) in January, an increase of 6,300 containers, or 1.5% compared to the same month last year.
According to GPA, those figures show the payoff from its recent infrastructure investments, such as a $220 million Mason Mega Rail project it completed last year, providing 24 miles of on-terminal track. The facility also agreed in December to spend $127 million to build an inland rail terminal in Gainesville, Georgia, that will link Northeast Georgia with the Port of Savannah’s 35 global container ship services.
“Customers 250 miles inland and greater are tapping Savannah as their port of choice for ag exports, manufacturing components, and retail goods,” GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch said in a release. “The investments we’ve made in rail capacity have not only increased the number of containers the Port of Savannah can handle each year, but extended our reach to new markets that can be served effectively by Garden City Terminal.”
“Areas such as Atlanta, Dallas, and Memphis rely on the Port of Savannah to handle import and export goods with speed and efficiency. Our improved capacity means businesses across these important markets can grow their trade through Georgia,” Lynch said.
