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For Immediate Release
May 20, 2002
OAKLAND, Calif (May 20, 2002) - The Port of
Oakland Board of Port Commissioners hosted a grand opening ceremony
for the recently completed Joint Intermodal Terminal (JIT), which
is being operated by the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
Company (BNSF) as the Oakland International Gateway. Port of Oakland,
BNSF, elected officials, rail, maritime and other industry leaders
as well as those who helped bring the Joint Intermodal Terminal
to completion attended the festive event. Although this ceremony
marked the official introduction of the JIT to the community, the
85-acre near-dock rail facility actually began operations in early
March.
Speakers at the event included President of the Port Board of
Commissioners Philip Tagami, Port of Oakland Executive Director
Tay Yoshitani, and Chairman, CEO, and President of Burlington
Northern Santa Fe Railway Matthew Rose.
"The new Joint Intermodal Terminal marks a major milestone
in our Vision 2000 maritime expansion program, putting us in a
more competitive position with other West Coast ports. Oakland
now has two viable rail alternatives to offer shipping customers,"
said Phil Tagami, President of the Board of Port Commissioners.
Tagami continued, "This new near-dock rail facility is also
of tremendous benefit to our local community. The JIT along with
the Port's new marine terminals has resulted in a rich concentration
of intermodal capacity. That capacity allows us to move cargo
in the most efficient way, thereby reducing truck trips and congestion
on local roads and freeways."
Port of Oakland Executive Director Tay Yoshitani stated, "The
Port of Oakland is well-positioned to capture new business by
providing greater rail access for shippers and increased container
capacity." Yoshitani added," This business, for which
all port gateways can compete, accounts for more than 50 percent
of all West Coast port container business. We are fortunate to
have BNSF as our business partner to operate the new Joint Intermodal
Terminal as the Oakland International Gateway."
"The Joint Intermodal Terminal is a major element of the
Port's Vision 2000 program, which when completed will deliver
an additional 9,000 jobs for our region, an increase of $2 billion
in annual business revenue, and another $62 million in state and
local taxes," said Yoshitani.
The Joint Intermodal Terminal was planned and built to provide
an intermodal terminal in the Port area for BNSF and eliminate
the need to truck containers between the Port and the BNSF terminal
in Richmond, 12 miles away. The JIT was built by a private and
public partnership. Total construction cost for the facility was
$38 million, with $22.1 million coming from federal grants through
ISTEA and TEA-21 funding. The initial concept for the Joint Intermodal
Terminal began in 1990.
"The Port of Oakland is proud to turn the operation of this
facility over to Burlington Northern and Santa Fe as the terminal
operators," said Yoshitani. While the JIT is operated by
BNSF, it is open and available to other parties for use. Currently,
the JIT can accommodate 250,000 containers per year with the capability
of expanding to meet future growth. It features 13,300 feet of
loading and unloading track that can accommodate 410 40-foot containers
at any time. The facility also contains an additional 10,100 feet
of storage and support tracks and parking for 1,245 containers.
The Port of Oakland, celebrating its 75th anniversary, is the
fourth largest container port in the country. Established in 1927
as an independent department of the City of Oakland, the Port
spans 19 miles of waterfront and more than 900 acres of maritime
terminal facilities. Port facilities include 10 major container
terminals located directly off the major interstate highway and
is served by two near-dock intermodal rail facilities. The Port
also includes Oakland International Airport, which covers an area
of over 2,500 acres; more than 1,000 acres of commercial, industrial,
recreational, and other land; 950 acres of underdeveloped land;
and about 9,700 surface acres of water area.
Contact:
Marilyn Sandifur
Media and Public Relations Manager
(510) 627-1193
msandifur@portoakland.comAlternate Contact:
Midori Tabata
Communications Assistant
(510) 627-1187
mtabata@portoakland.com |
