The Port of Long Beach (POLB) has been awarded a US$14.5 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration to help fund the “Terminal Island Wye Track Realignment” railroad project. The project is scheduled to start construction in mid-2021 and be completed by early 2023.
The port said it will improve rail efficiency, especially on Terminal Island, which is home to the Port’s largest container terminal, Pier T.
“The project will construct new tracks and enhance a triangular rail junction where long trains can be turned and staged,” Mario Cordero, executive director of POLB said.
He added, “The project will move trains in and out of the port faster, reduce locomotive idling and improve safety.” At the same time it “will help to move cargo more efficiently through the Port, which in turn supports jobs across the United States.”
This grant is one of the first from MARAD’s new Port Infrastructure Development Program. The funding from this program is specifically designed for capital improvement projects at US seaports.
The total project cost is US$40 million, and the Port will fund the remaining US$25.5 million. The TI Wye project will support the Port’s plan to increase on-dock rail, and will also improve rail access to two Long Beach bulk terminals on the eastern end of Pier T.
“This grant will help the Port continue to modernise infrastructure to deliver goods faster and bolster our local and state economies,” stated Bonnie Lowenthal, president of the Long Beach board of harbor commissioners.
