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The Port of West Sacramento is advancing two projects designed to boost business at the northern California facility. The port recently transferred about 19 acres to Sierra Northern Railway for a loop track and a renewable fuels facility.

Sierra Northern will build the loop track, which will be funded in part by a $960,567 Rail Line Relocation and Improvement Program grant the port received from the Federal Railroad Administration earlier this year. The loop will improve freight capacity and efficiency by enabling rail-car switching and storage operations to take place solely on port property, and will significantly reduce the amount of time a major grade crossing is blocked by trains, according to the port.

The renewable fuels facility, which will be funded by a $5 million California Energy Commission grant, will produce biomass diesel from local municipal solid waste. The facility is projected to produce 365,000 gallons of renewable diesel, which will be blended with conventional diesel.

In January, the port opened a new 5,000-foot track extension that links its main terminal with a nearby cement and aggregate facility.