A project that is expected to connect the Port of Long Beach with inland rail yards broke ground Thursday as officials also celebrated the environmental and economic benefits it will have on the region.
Port officials along with Democrat Congressman Robert Garcia, who represents the 42nd Congressional District, welcomed U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to celebrate the construction of the Pier B On- Dock Rail Support Facility. It is intended to complete the North Rail Yard Expansion and South Rail Yard Expansion at the port.
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Garcia, who served as the 28th Mayor of Long Beach from 2014 to 2022, described the project as a "home run" for good jobs, clean air and a strong supply chain.
As part of the port's capital budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, capital projects are expected to receive $368.3 million, a 47.2% increase compared to the previous spending plan. Of that money, some $204.9 million is for the Pier B project.
Pier B will shift more cargo to "on-dock rail," where containers are taken to and from marine terminals by trains. Moving cargo by on-dock rail is cleaner and more efficient, according to port officials. No cargo trucks would visit the facility.
"As mayor, we worked to electrify and green our port, and this major investment will do just that," Garcia said. "In Congress, we have fought for this project every single day, and I'm grateful to President Joe Biden and Secretary Buttigieg for investing in Long Beach and the region," Garcia said in a statement.
Last year, Garcia helped secure more than $283 million in federal grant money for the completion of the project, which is estimated to create over 1,000 new jobs to the Long Beach area, and over 13,000 new jobs nationwide.
Additionally, the $1.6 billion project has received additional funding from the state and federal government, totaling more than $640 million.
The new facility is expected to double the size of the existing Pier B rail yard from 82 acres to 171 acres, and triple the volume of on-dock rail cargo to the port can handle annually, from 1.5 million 20-foot equivalent units to 4.7 million TEUs, according to the Port of Long Beach.
The yard will feature a depot for fueling and serving up to 30 trains at the same time, and a full-service staging area to assemble and break down trains up to 10,000 feet long. Overall, the project will be built in phases, each improving cargo flow, with a completion date set for 2032.
According to the port, the project is intended to significantly reduce truck traffic, harmful emissions while improving safety, local congestion and yielding nationwide economic benefits.
``Thursday, work starts on a rail network that triples cargo volume, keeps costs down, and reduces pollution -- and it's all because of the historic funding made possible by the Biden Administration," Buttigieg said in a statement. ``Through projects like America's Green Gateway and the hundreds of other supply chain improvements we're making across the country, we're making our supply chains more robust and resilient in the face of any potential future disruptions."
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