Wedoany.com Report-Nov. 24, The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) reported that the Port of Savannah handled 4.8 million TEUs in the first ten months of 2025, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 183,250 TEUs or 4 percent. October volume reached 452,934 TEUs, down 8.4 percent or 41,325 TEUs from October 2024.

At the Port of Brunswick, Colonels Island Terminal processed 72,234 vehicles and heavy machinery units in October, an increase of 5.4 percent compared with the same month last year. Year-to-date volume through October totalled 689,662 units, representing a decline of 9 percent.

Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch stated: “We’ve been impacted by the trade downturn, so we look forward to seeing more trade deals come together and we’re hopeful the market bounces back in the new year.” He added: “We’re making strong progress and remain on track for a Spring 2026 opening” for the $127 million Blue Ridge Connector inland rail terminal located 50 miles from Atlanta in Northeast Georgia.

The new facility will receive daily Norfolk Southern doublestack trains from the Port of Savannah, serving a regional population exceeding 2 million. In its first year, the service is projected to remove 52,000 long-haul truck trips from Atlanta-area roads, with potential growth to 400,000 trips annually as volumes increase. This modal shift is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by 90 percent or 22,510 metric tonnes compared with equivalent truck transport.

GPA Board Chairman Alec Poitevint commented: “Our Blue Ridge Connector service will create new opportunities for Georgia’s commerce to flow smoother and attract more jobs and prosperity to the Peach State.”

To minimise community impact in Gainesville, Georgia, GPA provided $4.8 million for local road improvements completed in summer 2025. These included eliminating an at-grade rail crossing, realigning White Sulphur Road to maintain uninterrupted emergency vehicle access, and resurfacing Cagle Road as an enhanced alternative route for residents.

The Blue Ridge Connector is designed to ease congestion on metropolitan highways, improve supply-chain efficiency for regional businesses, and support continued economic expansion across Northeast Georgia.

Separately, construction began earlier this year on a new PermaCold Logistics temperature-controlled storage facility near Brunswick, further expanding specialised logistics capacity in the region.