The US Port of Long Beach has made progress with its $870m rail project to streamline rail operations and reduce bottlenecks at the second busiest container port in the country.
The port has selected engineering and construction services firm HDR to perform the final design of the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility Project.
The project aims to expand the port’s capability for loading shipping containers directly on rail cars instead of being loaded on trucks for short-haul trips. The expansion and reconfiguration of the existing Pier B railyard will create a staging area for loading freight trains nearly two miles long, eliminating thousands of local truck trips.
“The delivery of containers to and from ships by train is the most sustainable and efficient way to move cargo in and out of the port. Each train eliminates as many as 750 truck trips, speeding the flow of goods and cutting traffic on roadways. Train is a big part of our green future,” said Mario Cordero, executive director of Port of Long Beach.
HDR will work with subconsultant Moffat & Nichol on the Pier B project, scheduled to be completed in three phases, with the first phase expected to be complete by 2024.