POLB pushes for rail yard redevelopment

The proposed Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility could increase the use of “on-dock” trains, move cargo faster, and make operations more sustainable, the Port of Long Beach said.    The Port of Long Beach (POLB) wants to develop an existing rail yard into a new facility that it said could increase the use of “on-dock” trains, move cargo faster, and make operations more sustainable.
   Proposed for the northern area of the port, the new Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility would allow trains up to 10,000 feet long to be loaded and unloaded at on-dock rail facilities at marine terminals.
   Increased use of on-dock rail, where containers are placed directly on trains at marine terminals, significantly reduces trips by trucks throughout the region, the port said.
   No trucks would visit the redeveloped rail facility. Instead, smaller train segments would be brought to the facility where they would be joined together into a full-size train.
   The rail yard would be operated by Pacific Harbor Line, which provides short-haul rail transportation switching services, railroad track maintenance, and train dispatching services under contract to the port.
   The POLB said the Pacific Harbor Line is the first railroad in the nation that has converted its entire fleet to clean diesel locomotives that reduce air pollution and save fuel.
   Two public hearings on a draft environmental study for the proposed on-dock rail support facility are planned, which will be held:
     • Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 6:00 p.m. at Silverado Park, 1545 W. 31st St.;
     • And Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 6:00 p.m. at the Port Interim Administrative Offices, 4801 Airport Plaza Drive.
   “Demand for container handling has been increasing over time and is expected to continue to do so. The most recent forecast for the Harbor Complex, prepared in 2016, estimates continuing growth, although lower than the previous 2009 forecast of container throughput. In addition to growth in overall demand, container trains have been increasing in length from 8,000 feet to 10,000 feet, and even longer. These two factors have made it necessary for the POLB to evaluate options for maximizing efficient container management into the future,” the environmental impact report for the project said.
    “The ability of the marine terminals to handle increasing container demand is limited, and longer trains must be broken down into smaller units to have them loaded via on-dock,” the report added. “Because there currently is no space within the port complex that can handle the assembly/disassembly of the longer trains, this function currently consumes track space at varying locations in the port, including the use of main line tracks. The existing Pier B rail yard is the logical place to facilitate train handling, and it does not currently have space to
handle 10,000-foot-long trains without using tracks outside the rail yard, which causes delays at grade crossings in the vicinity. Therefore, there is a need to expand and improve the Pier B rail yard to accommodate current and future needs.”