GPA
GPA in 2025 handled nearly 5.7 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) of cargo, up 2.6% or 146,000 TEUs from 2024. This was the second busiest year ever after 2022, when approximately 5.9 million TEUs crossed the CSX- and Norfolk Southern (NS)-served Port of Savannah docks, GPA reported late last month.
“Georgia Ports leads the industry in speed to rail and closed out the year with containers moving from vessel to train in only 22 hours, improving from 28 hours at the start of the year,” GPA said.
The Appalachian Regional Port in Chatsworth, Ga., a joint effort of the State of Georgia, Murray County, GPA, and CSX, delivered 45,700 containers in 2025, a record 19% increase from the year before.
In 2025, the Port of Savannah handled a record 545,214 containers by rail—the fifth straight year over half a million, GPA reported.
The Port of Savannah also handled 14,000-16,000 truck moves daily, Monday through Friday. In 2025, dual moves—in which a driver delivers an export and picks up an import—took an average of 50 minutes on terminal, GPA said; single moves averaged 32 minutes.
GPA said it served 1,669 container ships in 2025, moving an average of 1,878 containers on and off each vessel.
The Port of Savannah ended the year with December container volumes of 439,630 TEUs, down 0.6% or 2,510 TEUs compared with the prior-year period.
In Roll-on/Roll-off cargo, the Port of Brunswick handled 74,344 units of autos and heavy equipment in December, up 5,659 RoRo units or 8.2%, according to GPA. Heavy equipment accounted for 2,715 units of the total volume.
For calendar-year 2025, Brunswick handled 832,194 units of autos and heavy equipment, down 7.5% or approximately 68,200 units from the previous year. Heavy equipment accounted for 51,677 units of the total volume in 2025.
“The global trade in autos and heavy equipment faced several headwinds last year,” GPA said. “Manufacturers reduced production and shipment of some vehicles to the U.S., while evaluating global manufacturing location changes and target markets. During the summer, auto manufacturers paused shipments from factories temporarily closed in Mexico, Europe and Asia. Luxury vehicle exports to China decreased, in part because auto manufacturers faced stiff competition from domestic Chinese producers.”
GPA also highlighted the following projects currently under way:
- The $134 million Blue Ridge Connector. This new Inland Terminal in Gainesville, Ga., is now 95% complete and will open mid-2026. Direct rail service via NS between Northeast Georgia and Savannah will provide a new option to a long-haul truck move of around 600 miles roundtrip, “reducing highway congestion, cutting emissions and avoiding costly empty container moves to or from the coast.”
- A “self-financed,” $4.5 billion port and inland infrastructure plan. Five new container berths will be added in Savannah, the most new berths of any U.S. port, GPA said, and one new RoRo berth will be added in Brunswick.
“I would like to thank our customers, GPA team, gateway terminals, ILA and our trucking and rail partners that all play a central role in making the Savannah experience successful every day,” GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch said. “We are well positioned to help our customers navigate the challenging market conditions ahead.”
Separately, the Port of Long Beach, Calif., set a cargo record in 2025 and expects 2026 to be “another busy year shaped by changes in trade policies, tariff normalization and shifts in manufacturing sourcing.” Also, South Carolina Ports’ Inland Port Dillon posted record rail moves in 2025.
Further Reading:
- GPA: Blue Ridge Connector 95% Complete
- Appalachian Regional Port Logs Busiest November on Record (part of Intermodal Briefs)
APA
Construction progresses on the $100 million, 272-acre Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), which is designed to reduce congestion at the Port of Mobile and provide an alternate shipping option for existing Port customers in central Alabama (see fact sheet, below). Leaders from APA, Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce, and CSX recently toured it, one year after groundbreaking. Site grading and subsurface utility installations are complete, and work is under way on a new three-mile-long CSX siding and a CSX main line bridge to support the facility’s rail operations, according to APA.
Slated to open in early 2027, this terminal will not only include the CSX siding, but also three operational process tracks, and two Kone rubber tire gantry (RTG) cranes to move containers from rail to trucks. Each RTG crane will span two process tracks, a truck lane, and a four-container-wide operational stacking area. The initial development includes 120 acres of operational yard, supporting an estimated annual throughput capacity of 60,000 lifts, according to APA. The project, it noted, is funded largely through federal appropriations.
More than $4 billion of private investments have been announced within five miles of the terminal since the project’s initial public announcement in 2022, APA reported. With access to two interstate highways plus warehouse space, the logistics hub is positioned for continued expansion, it noted.
“The Montgomery ICTF is a critical investment in Alabama’s supply chain infrastructure,” APA Director and CEO Doug Otto said. “Seeing the progress firsthand reinforces the importance of this facility in strengthening statewide freight mobility and supporting long-term economic growth.”
“The ICTF will enable seamless rail‑to‑truck connectivity and expand freight access to global markets through the Port of Mobile,” CSX reported via social media. “We’re proud to support a project that strengthens Alabama’s supply chain and fuels long-term economic growth.”
“We have already seen major investment in Montgomery and the River Region as a result of the Inland Port,” added Anna Buckalew, President and CEO of the Montgomery Regional Chamber. “Touring the ICTF as it prepares for full operations in 2027 gives us an even more vivid view of the opportunities on the horizon. We are grateful for the Alabama Port Authority’s leadership, CSX, and the state, federal, and local partners who leaned into this project with their full support every step of the way. More and more, you will see Montgomery and the Capital City Region connecting to assets around our state, to drive growth throughout Alabama and right here at home.”
