The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners recently approved $870 million to build the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility project.
The project is part of the port’s $1 billion rail improvement program.
The new facility will allow for more efficient and sustainable transfer of shipping containers from trucks to rail.
The lack of adequate yard tracks and the configuration of mainline tracks limit the port’s ability to build long trains. The project would change this by providing track space to join together sections of trains assembled at terminals.
“Projects like the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility show our commitment to finding ways to deliver operational excellence for our customers while reducing environmental impacts on the community,” Mario Cordero, Port of Long Beach executive director, said. “This development is strategically planned to deliver several key improvements within the next six years. These will provide major incremental benefits to the Port’s on-dock rail network, improving the flow of cargo to and from our marine terminals.”
In 2024, the first arrival, departure, and storage tracks are scheduled to be completed. Additional tracks will be completed in 2030, and the entire project will finish in 2032.
By 2035, demand for on-dock rail in the harbor is forecasted to double.