Long Beach port's new capex plan includes Pier B on-dock rail facility

The Port of Long Beach’s recently approved 2026-2035 capital improvement program designated over $1.28 billion, about 40% of the total $3.2 billion plan, for the Pier B on-dock rail support facility.

Construction of the rail facility began in 2024, and completion is expected in 2032, port officials said in a press release.

The facility will more than triple the volume of on-dock cargo the port can handle annually, from 1.5 million 20-foot equivalent units to 4.7 million TEU by increasing the capacity at the shipping terminals.

The project calls for doubling the existing Pier B rail yard from 82 acres to 171 acres, and adding a fueling and servicing depot and an assembly and breakdown staging area. The expanded rail yard also will be connected to on-dock rail facilities and the Alameda Corridor railway, which connects the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles, according to a project fact sheet on the port’s website.

Other major designations in the capital plan include over $700 million, 22% of the total budget, for sewer, street, water and stormwater projects. Waterfront infrastructure improvements are expected to receive $476 million, 15%, and $220 million on zero-emission infrastructure projects to support the port’s goal of transitioning all of its cargo handling equipment to zero-emission by 2030.