The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has invited harbor freight bids on a planned rail project designed to increase operational efficiency at the Port.
The Commission is scheduled to award a construction contract by December on Pier G’s Double Track Access to J Project, aimed at providing higher on-dock rail efficiency. It also seeks to improve the efficiency of local roads by moving more freight to rail.
The project is scheduled to begin construction in the Fall of 2020, adding a new 9,000-foot mainline track to better accommodate trains serving four terminals in the Port of Long Beach’s southern basin region.
The project will enable the on-dock rail yards at Piers G and J to be better utilized by allowing them to handle arrival and departure trains simultaneously by the time construction is completed in the fall of 2021. It will also minimize conflict with the on-dock rail operations of neighboring terminals and improve overall nearby safety.
Bonnie Lowenthal, President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, said, “The Double Track Access from Pier G to J Project is part of our ongoing efforts to improve the Port so that Long Beach remains globally competitive and environmentally sustainable well into the future.
The harbor freight project will increase rail efficiency at Piers G and J up to 25 percent as a vital piece of the US $1 billion rail infrastructure capital improvement program of the Port over the next decade.
The $25 million project will be partially financed by a $14 million grant from the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program, which will help pay for improvements to freight corridors across California by using designated transportation funds from the Senate Bill 1 and the National Highway Freight Program. The Port will contribute the remaining $11 million to the project.
Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, said, “This project will increase rail efficiency at the Port, allowing us to enhance our operational excellence while decreasing impacts on the surrounding communities.
About the Port of Long Beach
The Port of Long Beach is one of the biggest seaports in the world, a gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in goods transport and environmental stewardship.
With 175 shipping lines linking Long Beach to 217 seaports, the Port handles $200 billion in trade annually, supporting 575,000 employment in Southern California.
The Port of Long Beach has forecasted a moderate rise in container imports during 2019, following a year of record cargo-growth and trade disputes
