San Pedro Bay Portwide Rail Planning for Today and 2040

Abstract

The Ports of Los Angeles (POLA) and Long Beach (POLB) create the largest port complex in the western hemisphere, and handled 16.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2017, which is about 2.5 times greater than the next largest port in the United States. Of these containers, about 25% move via the POLA-POLB rail system. By 2035, the San Pedro Bay Ports (POLA/POLB) are projected to handle approximately 40 million TEUs, which will strain this important freight transportation network. Over the last ten years, these ports have invested more than a billion dollars in transportation projects to reduce truck trips, roadway delays, and to optimize the flow of cargo. The POLA-POLB rail system encompasses 13 on-dock and support rail yards and the rail network that connects them to the transcontinental railroad system. The extents of the port rail system are from the wharf to 20 miles (32 km) inland, including the Alameda Corridor, which alone carries about 11 percent of all waterborne containers entering/exiting the U.S. Rail operations are performed by Pacific Harbor Line, BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad, TTX (railcar inspection and repair), and terminal operators using International Longshore Union labor for cargo handling. To accommodate the expected growth in rail volumes for both exports and imports, a significant number of rail system improvements are needed. These improvements will encourage the transport of cargo by trains, thereby reducing truck-miles traveled and congestion on local and regional highways. The planning of the POLA-POLB rail system improvements is accomplished by the rail study commissioned by the POLB and POLA, and described in this paper. The rail planning for these ports has been ongoing for over 20 years, during which the worldwide economy, and the goods movement, rail, and port industries have transformed significantly.