GPA starts moving container freight through Mason Mega Rail Terminal

Eighteen rail lines now connect Garden City terminal’s Chatham and Mason rail yards, effectively making one mega terminal, with the project now more than 75% complete.

According to the GPA, the additional track increases on-terminal storage capacity at Garden City by 35% and allows it to build more trains of nearly 10,000ft (3,040 metres) in length on terminal for both Class I railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern.

“When complete, Mason Mega Rail Terminal will not only double our rail lift capacity to 2m TEUs per year, it will increase our reach into the heartland with more frequent, direct service and unmatched reliability,” said GPA executive director Griff Lynch. “This expansion will also ensure the free flow of cargo across our terminal and beyond our gates as Savannah takes on more business.”

Container volumes at Savannah port reached an all-time high of 464,095 TEUs in October, up more than 35,700 compared to the same month last year (+8.3%).

Finished vehicle and equipment unit throughput was also up last month by 24%, with a total volume of 78,772 units moved through Brunswick port.

“To handle additional business, the GPA has repurposed berth 2 at Colonel’s Island in Brunswick to accommodate the largest ro-ro vessels calling the US east coast today,” Lynch said. “In addition, we have been awarded a permit by the US Army Corps of Engineers to add a fourth berth, which is currently in the planning stages.”

Lynch said thar while there is no guarantee container trade will continue to expand at the same rate, the port of Savannah has achieved incredible growth in the midst of a global pandemic.

“To have achieved all-time record volumes in two of the last three months is a tribute to the hard work and collaboration between GPA and our partners throughout the supply chain,” Lynch said. “The progress we have already made on the Mason Mega Rail has delivered significant capacity increases and will further assure Savannah’s role as the third busiest container gateway in the nation.”