New rail port boosts North Ga. business
SAVANNAH — A new inland port terminal that moves cargo by train from northern Georgia to the busy coastal seaport in Savannah is generating new economic interest in an area better known for nature tourism than industry.
The Georgia Ports Authority and state taxpayers spent $23.5 million building the Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County about 90 miles north of Atlanta. Gov. Nathan Deal and other dignitaries celebrated the completion of the rail port, where trains began hauling cargo containers last week along more than 380 miles of tracks linking the inland terminal to the Port of Savannah.
Murray County isn’t used to high-profile ribbon cuttings. The county is located along the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains, and one-third of its land area is federally protected forestland. Lakes and state parks attract a healthy tourism business.
But the new rail terminal is generating interest among potential new employers, said Illya Copeland, executive director of the Murray County Industrial Development Authority.
“I’m working on three closings right now, literally all three at the same time,” said Copeland, adding that six other prospects put off making decisions until after the terminal opened. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen this kind of activity in Murray County in such a short period of time.”
The direct railroad connection gives shippers an alternative to moving cargo by truck through Atlanta. The terminal should reduce truck traffic by 25,000 round trips in its first year, and reach 50,000 round trips within five years, said Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority.
‘I’m working on three closings right now, literally all three at the same time.’
Illya Copeland Murray County Industrial Development Authority