Isuzu’s first container reaches Inland Port Greer as the rail link’s traffic falls by a third

The first container of production equipment for Isuzu’s new U.S. truck plant has made the trip from the Port of Charleston to Inland Port Greer, SC Ports said Oct. 21.

Isuzu North America Corp. picked Greenville County in 2025 to expand its U.S. production, a choice SC Ports said was driven in part by the rail link between Charleston and the inland port. The plant will build the company’s N-Series Gas, N-Series Electric and F-Series Diesel trucks, with operations expected to begin in 2027, according to SC Ports.

“Inland Port Greer provides a strategic connection to the Port of Charleston, ensuring we quickly receive parts for production and benefit from direct access to global markets,” said the chairman and CEO of Isuzu North America, according to the SC Ports announcement.

SC Ports leaders, including Chief Commercial Officer Byron Miller and Tom Boyle, the director of vessel operations and carrier sales, recently traveled to Isuzu’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, where the group discussed future collaborations, the authority said.

A slower year on the rails

The new customer arrives as traffic on that rail link has dropped sharply.

SC Ports recorded 35,873 rail moves at Greer from July through September, the first quarter of its fiscal year, down 33.6% from 53,990 a year earlier, according to the authority’s monthly figures. September alone was down 35.8%, to 11,442.

At Inland Port Dillon, which CSX serves, rail moves fell 15.9% for the quarter, to 11,515.

Both declines were steeper than the 6.8% drop in containers handled at the Port of Charleston’s marine terminals over the same three months. The monthly reports do not break the inland port figures down by customer.

How the link works

Inland Port Greer has operated since 2013 on 91 acres along the Interstate 85 corridor between Atlanta and Charlotte. Norfolk Southern provides its rail service exclusively, according to SC Ports.

Import containers unloaded in Charleston in the morning go to the railroad’s intermodal ramp and are available in Greer by 8 a.m. the next day, six days a week, the authority says.

The inland port grew 355% in its first decade, SC Ports said, which led to a $55 million expansion completed in 2025. The project added 9,000 feet of rail and raised capacity by 50%, allowing for 300,000 rail lifts a year.

“Inland Port Greer is the gold standard for high volume, short-haul intermodal rail,” SC Ports President and CEO Micah Mallace said in the Isuzu announcement.

SC Ports cited the Isuzu shipment again in its Oct. 27 summary of Mallace’s State of the Port address, saying companies “that benefit from expansive intermodal connections opted to bring more business through Inland Port Greer,” including Isuzu.

Rail carries about 25% of the Port of Charleston’s volume, Mallace said, according to WCSC Live 5 News. The authority is also working to open the Navy Base Intermodal Facility, a rail yard in North Charleston meant to be served by both CSX and Norfolk Southern. No opening date has been announced.

A railroad under review

The railroad behind Greer’s service is in the middle of a federal merger review.

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have proposed combining, and the Surface Transportation Board adopted a schedule on Aug. 18 for weighing the deal. Comments on the revised application, including protests and requests for conditions, are due Nov. 18, and responses to them are due Feb. 16, 2027, the board said. The schedule decision was not a ruling on the merits, the board said.

Gov. Henry McMaster backed the merger in a Sept. 9 letter to board Chairman Patrick Fuchs.

“While the Surface Transportation Board must carefully evaluate every aspect of this transaction, I believe the proposed combination of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern presents meaningful opportunities to reinforce South Carolina’s position as a national leader in commerce and trade,” McMaster wrote.

He also praised Norfolk Southern’s management of Brosnan Forest, which the railroad owns, and said he was encouraged by the commitment to keep maintaining and using it.

Norfolk Southern and SC Ports have been adding service. On Sept. 11, they announced expanded intermodal access between Charleston and Huntsville, Alabama.

What comes next

SC Ports’ next monthly figures will show whether Greer’s rail volume begins to recover in October. Merger comments are due at the Surface Transportation Board on Nov. 18, and Isuzu’s Greenville County plant is scheduled to start operations next year.