Port of Long Beach completes “Green Port Gateway” rail project

The Southern California port laid out an ambition goal to move 35 percent of containers to and from its terminals by rail by the end of this decade.    The Port of Long Beach said a $93 million rail project has been completed that will improve the efficiency of cargo movement as shipment volumes increase and help reduce pollution.
   Jon Slangerup, the port’s chief executive officer, said the “Green Port Gateway” project “will enable us to reach our goal of moving 35 percent of containerized cargo via on-dock rail this decade.” Currently it is 28 percent.
   Slangerup said the port’s long-range ambition is for half for half of all cargo to enter or leave the port by rail, including near-dock activity.
   The port said every on-dock double-stack rail train eliminates as many as 750 truck trips from regional roadways.
   Funded in part with state and federal transportation dollars, the project was approved for construction at the end of 2012 and was completed this year.
   It involved laying six miles of new track, adding a third rail line under Ocean Boulevard and realigning a rail pathway to relieve a bottleneck.
   The port plans $1 billion in rail projects over the next decade as part of a broader modernization program, consuming about a quarter of the port’s capital budget.
   “Making full use of on-dock rail capability maximizes our rail infrastructure throughout the Port,” said Carlo Luzzi, the port’s manager of rail transportation. “It’s also a key clean-air strategy under the Green Port Policy.”
   The port says trains are up to four times more fuel efficient and up to three times cleaner than using trucks.
   The port said it is moving forward with rail improvement projects that have cleared the environmental review process. A summary and map of the projects can be viewed here.