Long Beach port's board OKs $870 million to build on-dock rail facility

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved an $870 million budget to build a new on-dock rail support facility.

The facility will be designed to shift more shipping containers from trucks to rail for a "more efficient and sustainable transfer of cargo," port officials said in a press release.

No trucks would visit the Pier B on-dock facility, which is a centerpiece of the port's $1 billion rail improvement program. The first arrival, departure and storage tracks are expected to be complete in 2024, with additional track coming online in 2030.

The entire project is expected to be completed in 2032.

"Moving more cargo by train helps our marine terminals transfer cargo faster. At the same time, it helps us make progress toward the environmental goals the Commission set in the Clean Air Action Plan and continue to lead the industry on sustainable operations," said Tracy Egoscue, the board's president.

Currently, the ability to build long trains at the port is limited due to the lack of adequate yard track and configuration of mainline tracks. The Pier B facility would provide track space to join sections of trains assembled at terminals.

Pacific Harbor Line — which has converted its fleet to clean diesel locomotives — would operate the rail facility.

Earlier this year, the port released a final environmental impact report for the project.

The port's other rail-focused efforts include the Middle Harbor Terminal redevelopment project, which calls for a significant expansion of the on-dock rail yard at piers E and F, as reported in Progressive Railroading's September issue.