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Port of Oakland sets sights on transporting more cargo by rail
PORT of Oakland executive director Chris Lytle is keen to take more trucks off the road and reduce freeway congestion and diesel emissions by boosting rail use at the port.
"We have two outstanding partners at the port in the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroads," Mr Lytle told the annual meeting of the North American Rail Shippers Association, reported American Shipper. "And everyone in Oakland would like to see more cargo move in and out of the city on the rails than over the road."
Both of these Class I railways operate at far less than capacity in Oakland since the port's main market for containerised cargo is northern California, which is more efficiently served by trucks than trains.
However, Mr Lytle said Oakland's rail profile could improve soon owing to recent investments at the port.
Last year, the port completed a US$100 million rail storage yard with 41,000 feet of tracks. The rail yard was built using California state Trade Corridor Improvement Funds (TCIF) and federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants.
In mid-2008, a 300,000-square foot refrigerated facility dubbed Cool Port Oakland will be opened, according to Mr Lytle. The facility will be used to export beef, pork and chicken to Asia, with shipments likely originating from the Midwest arriving at the port in rail cars that will then be transferred to containers at Cool Port Oakland.
"We have two outstanding partners at the port in the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroads," Mr Lytle told the annual meeting of the North American Rail Shippers Association, reported American Shipper. "And everyone in Oakland would like to see more cargo move in and out of the city on the rails than over the road."
Both of these Class I railways operate at far less than capacity in Oakland since the port's main market for containerised cargo is northern California, which is more efficiently served by trucks than trains.
However, Mr Lytle said Oakland's rail profile could improve soon owing to recent investments at the port.
Last year, the port completed a US$100 million rail storage yard with 41,000 feet of tracks. The rail yard was built using California state Trade Corridor Improvement Funds (TCIF) and federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants.
In mid-2008, a 300,000-square foot refrigerated facility dubbed Cool Port Oakland will be opened, according to Mr Lytle. The facility will be used to export beef, pork and chicken to Asia, with shipments likely originating from the Midwest arriving at the port in rail cars that will then be transferred to containers at Cool Port Oakland.
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