This story originally appeared on Trains.com.
LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles has announced completion of the Pier 400 rail expansion, a $73 million program to expand the on-dock yard at the container terminal operated by APM Terminals.
The project added five new storage tracks totaling 31,000 linear feet, new crossovers and turnouts, a concrete rail bridge with lighting, an asphalt access roadway, and modifications to the compressed air system. It also involved relocation of part of the lead track onto port property, realignment of the track connection to the storage yard, modifications to Reeves Avenue, and a relocation of the grade crossing from Nimitz Avenue to Reeves.
Use of the expanded rail yard is projected to eliminate an estimated 1,200 truck trips per day by 2040, the port says.
“This $73 million rail project will increase cargo efficiency while reducing emissions — a cornerstone of the port’s blueprint for sustainable growth,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a press release. “Advancing capital improvement initiatives like this [is] key to ensuring the port remains competitive.”
“Thanks to the port’s significant investment in rail infrastructure, APM Terminals will be able to handle increased volumes of intermodal cargo with greater efficiency across a wider variety of inland locations,” said Jon Poelma, managing director of APM Terminals Los Angeles Pier 400.
Work on the project began in 2021. The port received a $21.6 million grant from the California Trade Corridor Enhancement Program and covered the remaining costs of nearly $51.6 million.