Port of L.A. completes $73M rail expansion project

Construction for a rail expansion project in San Pedro has been completed and will soon improve cargo flow, reduce emissions and improve roadway safety at the Port of Los Angeles, officials announced Wednesday.

The project is intended to increase the use of the port's Pier 400 on- dock rail yard and bolster its use for all terminal operators. Officials said the rail yard serves as a "critical link" between the San Pedro Bay port complex and the Alameda Corridor, which carries about 10% of all waterborne containers entering and exiting the United States.

"This $73 million rail project will increase cargo efficiency while reducing emissions -- a cornerstone of the port's blueprint for sustainable growth," Port of Los Angeles executive director Gene Seroka said in a statement. "Advancing capital improvement initiatives like this are key to ensuring the port remains competitive."

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The port is expecting rail demand to increase with the project, eliminating an estimated 1,200 truck trips per day by 2040, officials said.

"Thanks to the port's significant investment in rail infrastructure, APM Terminals will be able to handle increased volumes of intermodal cargo with greater efficiency across a wider variety of inland locations," Jon Poelma, managing director of APM Terminals Los Angeles Pier 400, said in a statement. "This strategic upgrade enhances the Port of L.A.'s attractiveness as a gateway for cargo owners who rely on fast, efficient, and well-connected supply chains to serve their customers."

Construction for the project began in 2021, and over time it added 31,000 linear feet of track with five new railroad storage tracks, a concrete rail bridge with lighting, an asphalt roadway, new crossovers and turnouts and upgrades to a compressed air system, officials said.

For the project, a portion of the lead track onto Port of Los Angeles property had to be relocated, as well as realignment of a track connection to the rail storage yard, modification to Reeves Avenue and relocation of a crossing from Nimitz Avenue to Reeves Avenue, according to officials.

Contractors Herzog/Stacy and Witbeck Join Venture led construction efforts.

The Port of Los Angeles received $21.6 million in grant funding from the California Trade Corridor Enhancement Program, which funds improving freight projects in the state. A remaining cost of about $51.6 million was paid by the port.

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