South Carolina Ports marked the completion of a $55 million expansion of Inland Port Greer on Wednesday, adding room for more cargo at the rail yard that links Upstate shippers to the Port of Charleston.
The project expanded the container yard to raise cargo capacity by 50% and added 9,000 feet of rail so the yard can handle longer trains, SC Ports said. It also enlarged the chassis lot and added new terminal operations and maintenance buildings.
The inland port can now handle 300,000 rail lifts a year, enough to meet projected customer demand through 2040, according to SC Ports.
“This critical project not only supports the needs of our existing customers, but also positions the region to attract more cargo and new business,” SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said.
Customers drove the need for more space. Cargo at Inland Port Greer grew 355% from 2014 to 2024, an average of 16% a year, SC Ports said. In February, the inland port handled 18,669 rail moves, up 18% from a year earlier and the second-busiest month in its history.
The expansion was paid for in part by a $25 million federal BUILD grant that the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded in 2018 and the S.C. Department of Transportation administered. SC Ports received $13.75 million of it. SC Ports, SCDOT, Norfolk Southern and BMW applied for the grant together.
Inland Port Greer opened in 2013 with BMW Manufacturing Co. as its first customer. It sits along Interstate 85 between Atlanta and Charlotte, and Norfolk Southern provides daily rail service to Charleston, about 212 miles away.
SC Ports said the expansion comes as it prepares to bring its Navy Base Intermodal Facility, a rail yard in North Charleston near Leatherman Terminal, online later this year.
