A Boon for the Alameda Corridor : New loan for trade connection should be sped along by Congress

The time and money involved may seem inversely proportional to the stub of new track that will run between the harbor and downtown Los Angeles: 12 years of planning, lobbying and negotiation and $1.8 billion in projected costs for 20 miles of track. But the importance of an upgraded Alameda Corridor to this region’s trade-dependent economy cannot be overstated.

The last chunk of money fell into place this week when the Clinton administration announced it will grant the corridor project a $400-million loan. The 1997 budget appropriates $59 million to permit construction to begin; the rest will follow in coming years.

The project will upgrade the creaky rail corridor that links the adjacent ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with the transcontinental lines that leave Union Station. While state-of-the-art equipment allows the seaports to load and unload more containers than any other in the nation, cargo crawls once it hits land. Trains travel as slow as 5 mph on tracks that cross busy streets. The new rail lines will be laid in a trench for much of the route, relieving congestion by eliminating about 200 street-grade crossings. With trains and cargo moving faster, the ports will be able to maintain their competitive edge in Pacific Rim trade.

A series of delays and local disagreements over the years has jeopardized existing local and federal funding and the bipartisan championing of this crucial but unglamorous project. The newly announced loan still needs congressional approval. We hope strong bipartisan backing from the California delegation, along with enthusiastic support from Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, will guarantee that.

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The Alameda Corridor will run from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to a major freight rail switching yard just south of the Santa Monica Freeway (20 miles), and NOT to Union Station downtown.

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