The Port of Long Beach received a $14 million grant from the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program to offset construction costs for a $25 million rail project to increase efficiency and reduce local traffic.
The TCEP uses transportation funds from Senate Bill 1 and the National Highway Freight Program to help pay for freight corridor improvement projects across the state.
The Port will pay the remaining $11 million for the project, which aims to improve on-dock rail reliability and shift more containers to rail.
“Moving goods by rail is four times more efficient than by truck, so this project would enhance our operational excellence and environmental sustainability,” said Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach, in a statement.
The Pier G and J Double Track Access Project, which is part of the port of Long Beach’s $1 billion rail infrastructure capital improvement program, is slated to add a new 9,000-foot departure track for trains. The new rail will serve four of the port’s six container terminals and will allow Piers G and J to simultaneously handle arriving and departing trains. The project, when completed in 2021, will allow the port to expand on-dock rail usage by approximately 157,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container cargo annually and reduce the number of daily truck trips.Construction is expected to begin next year.
“The Harbor Commission welcomes the grant, which helps to modernize the Port and strengthen its ability to contribute to the regional and state economy,” said Tracy Egoscue, president of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.
