The Port of Long Beach has welcomed the decision of the U.S. Maritime Administration to issue a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision, approving the planned Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, a Port of Long Beach project designed to enhance the flow of cargo by rail.

“Located southwest of Anaheim Street and the 710 Freeway, the planned $1.5 billion Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility is the centerpiece of the Port of Long Beach’s rail improvement program. It will shift more cargo to “on-dock rail,” where containers are moved directly to and from marine terminals by rail, significantly reducing trips by trucks throughout the region,” the port said. 

“Simply put, the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility will move cargo faster and with fewer environmental impacts,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “We thank MARAD for its work completing the EIS, which allows us to receive federal funding for a facility that will benefit the whole country.”

“The Port of Long Beach is a gateway for $200 billion in job-generating trade each year,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Steven Neal. “This project will help cargo move more efficiently, and it’s vital to maintaining our competitiveness and meeting our environmental goals.”

In December 2021 MARAD awarded $52.3 million to help fund development of the facility. Phase 1 construction, expected to be completed in 2025, will double the capacity of the existing Pier B rail yard. Street realignments and other component projects will continue to improve operations as they are finished, with full project completion scheduled for 2032.

The reconfigured facility will receive/depart and stage intermodal trains up to 10,000 feet long. At the moment trains over 8,000ft need to be broken into smaller units to be handled at existing on-dock facilities in Long Beach. The Pier B on-dock support facility will be a rail only operation. It will handle container trains, but there will be no truck access, and no cranes or other equipment at the terminal for modal transfer.

The facility will have four shutting locomotives (operated by Pacific Harbor Line – PHL), rising eventually to eight. PHL currently has one demonstration locomotive from Progress Rail that meets Tier 4 emission standards in its fleet and environmental agencies pushed for the EIS to include commitments for more Tier 4 machines. MARAD declined this request, noting that: “The current operating agreements under which PHL provides short-haul transportation services for the POLB and the neighbouring POLA are set to expire at the end of 2024. At that time, both ports will negotiate with the short-haul operator to incorporate requirements into subsequent operating agreements that call for demonstration and/or implementation of a new technology, provided one is determined to be feasible in terms of cost and technical and operational feasibility.”