The Port of Long Beach this week conducted the first of two public hearings on a draft environmental study for the proposed redevelopment of an existing rail yard into a new facility that could increase the use of “on-dock” trains, moving cargo faster while making operations more sustainable, according to port officials.
The port will host the second hearing at 6pm on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at the Port Interim Administrative Offices, 4801 Airport Plaza Dr.
An open house will be held prior to the hearing, beginning at 5:30pm. Educational displays and information regarding the Port’s overall rail strategy will be provided. Spanish translation and sign language interpretation will also be available.
The Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, proposed for the northern area of the port, would shift more cargo to “on-dock rail,” where containers are placed directly on trains at marine terminals, significantly reducing trips by trucks throughout the region. No trucks would visit the rail facility. Instead, smaller train segments would be brought to the facility to be joined together into a full-size train.
The rail yard would be operated by Pacific Harbor Line, which provides short-haul rail transportation-switching services, railroad track maintenance and train dispatching services under contract to the Port. Pacific Harbor Line is the first railroad in the nation that has converted its entire fleet to clean diesel locomotives that reduce air pollution and save fuel.
A project fact sheet and the draft environmental impact report are available at polb.com/PierB. The draft EIR analyzes the impacts of the proposed development and the mitigation measures that would be used to address those impacts. The port is welcoming comment on the study through Feb. 13.
Comments can be made in person at the Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 public hearings or sent in writing to Heather Tomley, Director of Environmental Planning, 4801 Airport Plaza Dr., Long Beach, CA 90815 or heather.tomley@polb.com.
Source: Port of LB
