Alameda Corridor increases share of L.A.-Long Beach port traffic

Alameda Corridor increases share of L.A.-Long Beach port traffic    The Alameda Corridor rail freight infrastructure carried 26.6 percent of total Los Angeles-Long Beach port volume in the fiscal year ended June 30, up from 25.9 percent of port volume during the previous year, the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority reported.
   The multi-tracked Alameda Corridor, built for $2.4 billion, carried a daily average of 5,008 containers in the latest fiscal year, 638 units per day more or 14.6 percent more, than in the previous fiscal year.
   “That is 3 percent higher than the original 1998 forecasted number,” the authority said.
   The 20-mile corridor also had a better-than-projected revenue performance, the corridor’s authority said. Assessed fees and charges increased 13.9 percent to $62.3 million from $54.7 million.
   “With all of the recent studies linking diesel air pollution to long term health problems, it is important to note that the Alameda Corridor has been successful in removing the equivalent of 2.3 million truck trips from our roads annually,” said Janice Hahn, chairman of the authority and a Los Angeles City councilwoman.
   Frank Colonna, a Long Beach councilman and vice chairman of the authority, said the corridor is providing additional capacity for growth during its first 20 years of service, a period expected to see significant growth in international trade.
   The corridor authority was able to refinance its federal loans and pay back a $573 million federal Department of Transportation loan 28 years in advance of its maturity date earlier this year.