$1.8-Billion Rail Project for Port Given Green Light

Federal officials said Tuesday that they have finished the required environmental review of the proposed Alameda Corridor project, giving the green light to the $1.8-billion rail system from the harbor to downtown Los Angeles.

The twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together handle one-fourth of all U.S. international shipping trade, “are important to U.S. commerce and serve as a major gateway for cargo between the United States and the Pacific Rim nations,” Transportation Secretary Federico Pena said in announcing completion of the environmental review in Washington. “This project will benefit the United States for years to come.”

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill, who have taken lead roles in clearing the way for the complicated and costly project, jointly hailed Pena’s announcement. Riordan called it “a terrific milestone.”

The Clinton administration recently called for a $400-million loan for the Alameda Corridor in his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.

The project’s major feature is a 20-mile stretch of rail to speed freight between the harbors and a transfer yard just south of the Santa Monica-San Bernardino Freeway. Because the new rail line, which will pass through seven other cities, will eliminate street-level crossings, it will provide safer and faster transportation of goods.