Railroads, Ports Sign Deal for Alameda Corridor Project : Transportation: Pact is expected to raise $600 million of the $1.8 billion needed to build a freight route to Downtown. Next part is the toughest: Asking the U.S. government to pay the rest.

The Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and Santa Fe railroads agreed Thursday to use the Alameda Corridor, a 20-mile railway that will run from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to Downtown Los Angeles.

The corridor, which is expected to cost about $1.8 billion to build, would separate train and automobile traffic, providing a high-speed rail link for freight. Now, freight carried by rail can take eight hours to move across the Los Angeles Basin because trains must go 5 to 10 m.p.h as they pass through 34 street crossings.

Under Thursday’s agreement, the companies will pay $15 for each 20-foot cargo container that rides the rails.

Railroad and port officials signed an operating agreement during a ceremony at the Port of Long Beach with a goal of raising $600 million of the project’s costs in 10 years.

As part of the deal, the ports paid $400 million to buy 26 miles of right of way from Southern Pacific, 18.6 miles from Union Pacific and 0.7 miles from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co.

Although the corridor will only be 20 miles long, the ports had to buy additional railway for alternative routes while the corridor is being built and for overflow trains. The Alameda Corridor will run along the railway owned by Southern Pacific.

With railroad cars from each of the companies parked behind them, officials said they were happy to obtain the agreement between the rival railroads and ports, but the difficult part lies ahead: getting the rest of the money from the federal government.

“There seems to be an anti-California feeling that’s sweeping the leadership of the Congress,” Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Michael Keeley said. He called on local and federal officials to persuade Congress that the project is important and will affect not only Southern California, but the country.

Rep. Walter R. Tucker III (D-Compton) said the project must have bipartisan support in Congress to survive.

“When you ask how you spell economic relief, I spell it ‘Alameda Corridor,’ ” Tucker said.

Supporters of the corridor say the project is critical to the expansion of the ports, which are expected to triple their exports and imports during the next 25 years.

The first phase of construction began in October with the Carson Street overpass. Other overpasses are scheduled to be built at Pacific Coast Highway, Sepulveda Boulevard, Del Amo Boulevard and Alameda Street near Laurel Park Road. The project is expected to be completed by 2001.