Port of Oakland welcomes first train to new $100M near-dock facility
Agricultural products from Midwest headed to Asia on 100 rail cars
Oakland, Calif.–July 7, 2016: The Port of Oakland today welcomed the first train to use a new, $100 million near-dock rail facility at the former Army Base. The new tracks are located in the Port’s Outer Harbor Intermodal Terminal area. They were designed as part of a strategy to enhance the Port’s intermodal capabilities.
The Port wants to attract more discretionary cargo through Oakland. Discretionary cargo is cargo which is not local to the region and can be shipped through any number of seaports in the United States, Canada or Mexico. The cargo on this train was originally destined for Canadian seaports.
The 100-car train carries agricultural products from Archer Daniels Midland Company from the Midwestern United States and headed to Asia. The cargo will be transferred from the rail cars directly into containers by Port tenant Capital River Group and delivered to the terminals for export. The Port of Oakland has seen a growing market for agricultural products, especially from California’s Central and Salinas Valleys and the Midwest.
“The Port envisioned a rail yard that would bring cargo through Oakland,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “This was made possible by maritime business partners such as Union Pacific Railroad and government funding partners.”
The new tracks are part of a phased rail expansion. They consist of five manifest yard tracks and eight support yard tracks. Manifest yards are used for receiving rail cars that come from Class I railroads. Support yards are used for short-term storage. There are approximately 39,000 linear feet of track. Warehouses and distribution centers are also envisioned on the former Army Base.
The rail yard was built using California state Trade Corridor Improvement Funds (TCIF) and federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants.
About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.
Media Contacts:
Robert Bernardo
Communications Manager
Port of Oakland
(510) 627-1401
Click here to contact Robert Bernardo
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