The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) will open the $127 million Blue Ridge Connector inland rail facility in spring 2026. The terminal sits 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Gainesville, Georgia, and will provide double-stack rail service between the Port of Savannah and northeast Georgia via Norfolk Southern.
The 200-acre facility will operate Monday through Friday and will handle up to 200,000 container lifts each year across 18,000 feet of working track. GPA reports that construction is nearing completion.
The project is fully funded through GPA’s capital program. GPA also contributed $4.8 million to Hall County for related road improvements, including the removal of an at-grade rail crossing, the realignment of White Sulphur Road, and resurfacing of Cagle Road. These improvements were completed in summer 2025.
The terminal will shift a significant share of freight from truck to rail. GPA expects the facility to eliminate 52,000 truck trips through the Atlanta region in its first year. Depending on demand, that number could eventually reach 400,000 annual truck trips. GPA estimates a 90% reduction in CO₂ emissions—about 22,510 metric tons—in the first year compared to current truck routes.
The Blue Ridge Connector strengthens cargo flows in a fast-growing manufacturing and logistics corridor that includes heavy equipment, forest products, and food and poultry exporters. The facility will serve a regional population of more than 2 million people.
Norfolk Southern will provide daily double-stack service between Savannah and Gainesville.