GPA aiming for new inland ports (Columbus, Savannah: 2015, live, costs)

[Airforceguy]

I'm glad to see the success of this program. Cordele, where the first inland port is located, has exceeded everyone's expectations. I believe the next inland port will be even more successful...

“The idea, which we’re calling Network Georgia, is to look at the state as six geographical zones and work with those zones to create a web of rail connections that will make access to the port easy and convenient,” said Curtis Foltz, GPA executive director.

“We want to work with the zones and the state to improve that connectivity, which will also improve economic development across the region.”

Two years ago, Gov. Nathan Deal and the GPA signed a memorandum of understanding with Cordele Intermodal Services that ensured a direct, 200-mile rail route between Cordele – located on Interstate 75 in the central part of the state – and the GPA’s Garden City Terminal.

The partnership was expected to create and expand international markets for regional business, reduce highway traffic, cut shipping costs and provide new service offerings to benefit shippers, truckers and ocean carriers.

Two years later, Cordele’s success has surprised even Foltz.

“Cordele has exceeded my expectations on the front end,” he said. “What it has done certainly speaks to the importance of inland rail.”

Ideally, Foltz said, in the next 10 years he would like to see a web of intermodal rail centers across the state.

GPA aiming for new inland ports | BiS | Business in Savannah News

[masonbauknight]

Great news. Columbus and Bainbridge are actually the largest inland GPA ports, I've always read. Seems like they'd both be the priority over Cordele.

[midgeorgiaman]

Originally Posted by masonbauknight

Great news. Columbus and Bainbridge are actually the largest inland GPA ports, I've always read. Seems like they'd both be the priority over Cordele.

Inland port in this instance has nothing to do with a waterway. It is more of a distribution (rail) hub where shipping containers from the water ports go as an intermediate destination.

You are correct regarding columbus and bainbridge in terms of water ports, but they are quite small. This inland port in Cordele would be more accurately described as an "intermodal container center that sends and receives containers for the Ga ports authority"

[cwkimbro]

Yea the Port of Columbus is very small and is mostly used for delivering liquid. It isn't used much anymore, if it is even used today.

This came up during the three state dispute over water flows in the Chattahoochee. A great deal of water can be saved during droughts if we don't have to maintain barge navigation to Columbus.

Columbus has resisted it, but even they concede it doesn't seem economically necessary. Most liquids today are delivered through an extensive piping network that has been constructed through the US.

One more thing for Columbus to consider. That underused facility hurts Columbus in two ways. It is blocking a continuation of park land along the river walk to the Civic Center, a prime redevelopment site, and removing it would also allow for the removal of rail tracks in the riverwalk park area by the civic center to the convention center. I don't know for sure if there are any freight customers on 6th street, but they very well might be able to remove the tracks on 6th street.

Columbus would be better off with a multi-modal rail yard these days.

[Son_of-Lakebottom]

Norfolk still stop by every Tuesday and Wednesdays.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Son_of-Lakebottom

Norfolk still stop by every Tuesday and Wednesdays.

Interesting. Down 6th street with Liquid bulk cars? (Not the shortline down 9th street and across the river)

[Son_of-Lakebottom]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

Interesting. Down 6th street with Liquid bulk cars? (Not the shortline down 9th street and across the river)

Yes...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a17XccByx3o

[masonbauknight]

@MidGeorgia and CWKimbro. Thanks for your info. I had no idea of the current situation (and classification of ports) from reading the GPA informational stuff. I had also seen a couple of articles in GA newspapers. Great explanation.