Port of Long Beach signs $283m US DOT grant agreement for Pier B rail expansion

Port of Long Beach signs $283m US DOT grant agreement for Pier B rail expansion

The Port of Long Beach has signed a $283m grant agreement with the US Department of Transportation for the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, according to the Port of Long Beach.

The agreement secures federal funding for a rail project designed to expand on-dock capacity, accelerate cargo movement, reduce congestion and cut local environmental impacts.

Pier B is planned to more than double the existing rail yard from 82 acres to 171 acres and raise annual on-dock rail cargo handling capacity from 1.5m TEU to 4.7m TEU.

The facility is also planned to include a depot for fuelling and servicing up to 30 locomotives and a staging area for assembling trains up to 10,000 feet long.

The US Department of Transportation has identified Pier B as a $1.5bn project, with the port receiving a $283m Mega grant and a $52.6m Port Infrastructure Development Program grant.

Port of Long Beach is a municipal seaport operated by the City of Long Beach, California, through the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.

US Department of Transportation is a federal executive department responsible for national transportation policy and transport infrastructure programmes in the United States.