Northwest Georgia’s Appalachian Regional Port is reporting record-breaking business, with container traffic jumping 41 percent in July as the inland terminal continues to expand its role in connecting the region’s manufacturers and businesses with global markets.

The Georgia Ports Authority says the Appalachian Regional Port in Crandall, Murray County, handled an all-time July high of 4,800 containers. That was nearly 1,400 more containers than the facility handled during July 2025.

Port officials attribute the growth to a combination of new customers and increased business from companies already using the Northwest Georgia facility.

The strong July follows a record fiscal year for the inland port.

During fiscal year 2026, which ended June 30, the Appalachian Regional Port handled 49,319 containers, an increase of more than 8,100 containers, or nearly 20 percent, compared with the previous 12 months.

Connecting Northwest Georgia to Savannah

The Appalachian Regional Port provides Northwest Georgia industries with a direct rail connection to the Port of Savannah.

Located on 42 acres in Murray County, the terminal is served by CSX on a 388-mile direct rail route to and from the Garden City Terminal at the Port of Savannah. The facility has an annual capacity of approximately 75,000 containers, with the ability to expand as demand grows.

The inland port is strategically positioned near Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 411 and serves industries throughout Georgia as well as portions of Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky.

For Northwest Georgia, that includes major manufacturing sectors such as carpet and flooring, automobiles, tires and other goods.

One of the biggest advantages is reducing the need for trucks to make the entire trip between Northwest Georgia and the coast.

According to the Georgia Ports Authority, each round-trip container moved by rail through the Appalachian Regional Port eliminates approximately 710 truck miles from Georgia highways.

Savannah Also Reports Growth

The record in Northwest Georgia comes as the Port of Savannah also started its new fiscal year with stronger cargo numbers.

Savannah handled 503,739 twenty-foot equivalent container units, or TEUs, in July, an increase of 5.7 percent compared with July 2025. Exports increased 7.7 percent, while imports were up 5 percent.

Rail traffic also increased at Savannah’s Mason Mega Rail Terminal, which handled 44,981 container lifts during July, about 2 percent more than a year earlier.

The Georgia Ports Authority says containers are moving from ships to trains at Savannah in an average of approximately 20 hours, allowing cargo destined for inland markets such as Northwest Georgia to move quickly away from the coast.

Inland Ports Becoming Bigger Part of Georgia’s Logistics Network

The Appalachian Regional Port opened in 2018 and has steadily grown into an important component of Georgia’s freight transportation system.

The state is now expanding that inland-port model. The $134 million Gainesville Inland Port opened in May, providing another rail-connected cargo facility serving Northeast Georgia and the Atlanta-area manufacturing and logistics corridor.

For the Appalachian Regional Port, however, July’s numbers demonstrate that the original Northwest Georgia inland terminal is continuing to gain business.

With a 41 percent year-over-year increase and the busiest July in the facility’s history, the port is beginning fiscal year 2027 at a pace even stronger than the record-setting year it just completed.