The Georgia Ports Authority Board of Directors on Monday approved $92 million in funding for the Mason Mega Rail Terminal.
The project will double the Port of Savannah’s annual rail capacity to 1 million containers and deliver the largest on-terminal rail facility in North America by 2020.
“It is no accident the GPA is constructing rail capacity as the demand for rail is growing,” said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. “As part of our strategic planning two years ago, our team identified the growing role intermodal cargo would play in GPA’s long-term success and put into place this plan for expansion.”
The work approved by the board Monday includes 124,000 feet of new track, 88 automated switches and rail control devices, as well as the rail and power infrastructure to support the operation of rail-mounted gantry cranes.
The added rail capacity will better accommodate 10,000-foot-long unit trains at Garden City Terminal. These more cost-effective trains will provide faster, more frequent service over greater distances, the GPA said. This will extend the territory best served by the Port of Savannah along an arc of cities ranging from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati.
The GPA moved 375,833 TEUs in August, an 8 percent increase over August 2017. In addition, the GPA handled 86,200 intermodal TEUs, a 33 percent jump.
“A strengthening economy and a greater reliance on GPA in major inland markets is driving growth at the Port of Savannah,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “We expect this trend to continue as more customers take advantage of Garden City Terminal’s central location and efficient terminal operations.”
In August, rail cargo to and from Atlanta increased by 34 percent.