U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and officials from across the United States attended a groundbreaking ceremony for “America’s Green Gateway,” the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, a US$1.567 billion project, which will double the footprint of the existing rail yard from 331,000m² to 692,000m².
Pier B will be built in phases, each enhancing cargo movement, with construction scheduled for completion by 2032. The project will more than triple the Californian port’s capacity for on-dock rail to 4.7 million TEUs per year. On-dock rail cargo is moved directly to and from marine terminals by trains, reducing emissions and stress on the local and regional road network.
“Today, 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-Harris Administration,” stated Buttigieg, who went on to add, “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.”
Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero commented, “The Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility will add 130,000 feet of new tracks, build 36 new support tracks and more than double the number of trains leaving the Port to 17 per day. These improvements will benefit the entire U.S. supply chain and get us closer to the operational and environmental transformation into a zero-emissions port.”
The Port of Long Beach has won US$643 million in grant funding from federal, state and local transportation agencies for the project. The federal government alone has awarded US$404.1 million, while the state of California has invested US$228.8 million and Los Angeles County US$10 million.
California Governor Gavin Newsom pointed out, “This project exemplifies our work to create jobs, cut pollution, eliminate bottlenecks and build a more dynamic supply chain – faster.”
