|
|
 |
 |
|
One of the best ways to decrease harbor congestion and air pollution is to use trains rather than trucks to move cargo. That is why we support the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) proposal to build a rail terminal a short hop from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
- Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial
May 10, 2007
read more >
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
The Port of Los Angeles ranks as the nation's busiest port while the Port of Long Beach is the nation’s second busiest. Combined, the two ports are the world’s fifth busiest port complex. In 2006, the two San Pedro ports handled 15.7 million TEUs of cargo. A Trade Impact Study released in March 2007 concluded that the value of containerized trade moving through the ports was $256 billion in 2005.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
- The Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles (also known as the San Pedro Bay ports) handle more than 40% of the nation’s total import traffic and 24% of its total exports.
- The national trade impact, according to the study, is $256 billion.
- There is at least one firm in every Congressional District in the United States that ships goods in or out through the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
- State and local taxes generated throughout the nation from this trade activity grew from an estimated $6 billion in 1994 to more than $28 billion in 2005
- More than 60 percent of the containerized cargo is transported to points outside Southern California
- Most of the goods that leave Southern California are transported by rail. In the last four years, the Alameda Corridor saw a 106 percent increase in cargo; double the ports’ growth during that time.
- The Alameda Corridor carried 19,924 trains, an average of 55 trains per day; a 15 percent increase over the number of trains that used the corridor in 2005.
- Nearly 5 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) were transported via the corridor in 2006, a 32% increase from 2005.
- The number of direct and indirect jobs associated with the trade activity generated by the San Pedro Bay ports increased by 200%, from 1.1 million jobs nationally in 1994 to 3.3 million jobs in 2005.
ECONOMIC ROLE OF THE PORTS OF LOS ANGELES AND LONG BEACH
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach play a crucial role in sustaining and promoting the Los Angeles region's important impact on international trade and the U.S. balance of payment. Moreover, the ports provide millions of jobs nationwide and contribute billions of dollars to the local and national economy. The ports are also major drivers of the local economy, serving as the second largest source of jobs in the greater five county region, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).
According to a report by the LAEDC, international trade continues to be an important sector of the Los Angeles regional economy. And, over the next 20 to 25 years, there will be a significant increase in activity at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex. Even in the past few years, gridlock due to insufficient infrastructure prompted shippers to divert cargo to other ports to avoid possible delays in Southern California.
Given all of these factors, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, along with all of the companies and organizations that work with and benefit from trade through the ports, need to consider other alternatives. One alternative that has been implemented is extending port hours, to take trucks off the roads during rush hour.
ACTION IS NEEDED FOR THE PORTS TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE AND HEALTHY
The Port of Los Angeles has been at the forefront of supporting and accommodating the development of rail facilities to expedite the movement of containerized cargo and other freight through the Port, including development of the Alameda Corridor and additional on-dock rail facilities.
The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners adopted a Rail Policy to encourage the increased use of rail and provide for on-dock and near-dock rail facilities for movement of both existing and future containerized cargo. Following adoption of the Rail Policy, the Port selected BNSF Railway for the development and operation of a new near-dock intermodal rail facility, called the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG).
THE ALAMEDA CORRIDOR
Completed in 2002 at a cost of more than $2.4 billion, the Alameda Corridor is a 20-mile freight rail expressway between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the rail yards near downtown Los Angeles. By consolidating 90 miles of branch rail lines into a high-speed expressway, the Alameda Corridor eliminated conflicts at more than 200 at-grade railroad crossings where cars and trucks previously had to wait for long freight trains to slowly pass. It also cut by more than half, to approximately 45 minutes, the time it takes to transport cargo containers by train between the ports and downtown Los Angeles.
By allowing trains to move more quickly from the ports to inland destinations, the Alameda Corridor encourages the use of trains instead of trucks to transport cargo, contributing to reduced truck traffic on local highways, thus resulting in decreased emissions and greater safety.
According to Councilwoman Janice Hahn, “the Alameda Corridor has been successful in removing the equivalent of 2.3 million truck trips from our roads annually.”
In addition to the elimination of millions of truck miles annually from the 710 freeway, the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) would contribute to higher usage of the Alameda Corridor by moving more cargo onto trains near the port complex and then transporting them through this highly efficient rail expressway.
|
|
|
