Georgia Port Authority inks inland port deal
A new inland port agreement signed today by Governor Nathan Deal, the Georgia Ports Authority and Cordele Intermodal Services will create and expand international markets for regional business.
The agreement, which ensures a direct 200-mile rail route to and from GPA’s Garden City Terminal in Savannah, will serve as a gateway to Southwest Georgia and adjacent regions of Florida and Alabama. The partnership is outlined in a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
By reducing the number of truck miles into Savannah, the Cordele operation saves on shipping, reduces highway traffic, and provides new service offerings to benefit shippers, truckers and steamship lines.
The inland port offers a viable intermodal option to an all-truck-dray to the deepwater port of Savannah for CIS’ target market. This makes Savannah a better option for customers in that region, lowering the cost to take advantage of the port’s broader menu of shipping lines, services and destinations.
CIS is located on 40 acres, with an option to expand up to 1,200 acres in the Crisp County Industrial Park. The facility is less than one mile from Interstate 75, Georgia Highway 300 and Georgia Highway 280, and allows direct container rail service to and from the ports of Brunswick and Savannah.
About Cordele Intermodal Services:
Cordele Intermodal Services is a privately owned and operated rail ramp located in Cordele, Ga.
CIS provides direct rail access exclusively to the Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah, Georgia. CIS provides cost savings, traffic mitigation, reductions in CO2 output, and additional operational service offerings to benefit shippers, trucking companies, and steamship lines. They are situated within a market that includes the SW quadrant of Georgia, the southern half of Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. The CIS facility is located one mile from I-75, a major north-south logistics corridor that passes through Atlanta. They are served by the Heart of Georgia RR, with access to both Class I RR’s in the region (CSX & NS).
About the Georgia Ports Authority:
Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 352,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $18.5 billion in income, $66.9 billion in revenue and $2.5 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah was the second busiest U.S. container port for the export of American goods by tonnage in FY2011. It also handled 8.7 percent of the U.S. containerized cargo volume and 12.5 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2011