Biden Cabinet official visits Long Beach to tout port’s $1.5-billion ‘green’ overhaul

A member of President Biden’s Cabinet joined local officials Thursday to tout a $1.5-billion rail yard project at the Port of Long Beach, which starts construction this summer to expand rail storage capacity, accommodate more trains and reduce emissions.

Roughly $643 million has been granted for the project by local, state and federal agencies, including a mega-grant of roughly $283 million from the Department of Transportation. The remainder will be supplied by port revenue and, officials hope, more grant funding.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, local lawmakers and port officials arrived at a ceremonial groundbreaking on a train pulled by an electric locomotive. They addressed a crowd of about 400 attendees that included port staff, union workers, local politicians and state representatives.

“This work builds a rail network on the port that more than triples the volume of cargo that can move by rail to nearly 5 million containers a year — the kind of throughput that will keep America’s economy humming and keep costs down with benefits in every part of this country,” Buttigieg said.

The expansion will increase the existing Pier B rail yard from 82 acres to 171 and will run along parts of the 710 Freeway. The project, which will be constructed in segments, is expected to be finished in 2032.

The port’s chief executive, Mario Cordero, and others said the project will have long-term effects on Long Beach and its neighboring Port of Los Angeles, which together account for roughly 40% of U.S. container imports from Asia.

“If you talk to the customers — the shippers and the stakeholders — this is one gateway,” Cordero said of the ports. “It’s paramount that we maximize how we collaborate.”

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The Port of Los Angeles recently completed a $73-million rail expansion project to similarly improve cargo flow and reduce emissions.

Cordero said the Long Beach project will help decongest surrounding neighborhoods and the 710 Freeway by allowing trains to move more quickly through the area to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — a goal pushed by community advocates.

“We’re doing all we can to then address the environmental pressure,” he said.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), who has followed the project since he was Long Beach mayor, believes it will create jobs and improve air quality.

“This is going to be transformational — it’s the single largest green port project in the United States,” he said.