POLB advances Pier B plan

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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Pier B at the Port of Long Beach.
Port of Long Beach

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, progressing a plan to allow for more efficient cargo movement.

“This project is vital to our ability to stay competitive and will minimize truck trips generated by anticipated cargo growth,” said Harbor Commission President Lou Anne Bynum. “Moving more cargo by rail to and from the Port reduces air pollution and makes operations more efficient.”

The Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, to be located southwest of Anaheim Street and Interstate 710, would shift more cargo to on-dock rail by allowing for longer trains to be built at the facility. The port says on-dock rail usage was at 24 percent in 2017.

The Pier B facility would provide track space to join together sections of trains assembled at terminals. The port says cargo trucks would not visit the facility, enhancing the environmental benefits of pushing more cargo to rail transportation.

“This project is vital to our ability to stay competitive and will minimize truck trips generated by anticipated cargo growth,” said Harbor Commission President Lou Anne Bynum. “Moving more cargo by rail to and from the port reduces air pollution and makes operations more efficient.”

The port also notes that the rail facility would be operated by Pacific Harbor Line, a switching railroad that has converted its fleet to clean-diesel locomotives that reduce air pollution and save fuel.

“The Clean Air Action Plan calls for increased use of on-dock rail, and we have a goal of raising our on-dock volumes to at least 35 percent of our shipments,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said. “It’s crucial that we build this facility to hit these environmental and business goals.”

The project’s Final Environmental Impact Report was released last week and the next steps include the board’s consideration of a baseline budget for the project after preliminary designs are completed over the coming months.

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