Rail Facility Project Draft Study Recirculated for Public Review

Photo courtesy of POLB

The Port of Long Beach is recirculating a draft supplemental environmental impact report or SEIR examining the environmental impacts of minor additions and changes to the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility project.

The modifications to the project would consist of installing and/or removing utilities and connections, adding construction staging and equipment laydown areas, adjusting rail tracks, pavement restriping and signage, and closing portions of Grant Street and Southern Pacific Drive in Wilmington. In addition, the Berths D52-D54 transit shed at 555 N. Pico Ave. would be demolished to accommodate realigning Pico Avenue. The shed has been determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

An initial draft of the SEIR released in September 2025 evaluated reconfiguring the transit shed. However, further engineering design identified the need for full demolition of the shed because partial demolition would not be economically or physically feasible without damaging the remainder of the structure. View the recirculated draft supplemental environmental impact report at www.polb.com/ceqa.

A virtual public meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Nov. 18. Click here to register for the meeting.

Written public comments on the proposed project will be accepted until 4 p.m. Dec. 9. They can be submitted via email to ceqa@polb.com or to Renee Moilanen, Director of Environmental Planning, Port of Long Beach, 415 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802.

The planned Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility will shift more cargo to on-dock rail, where containers are taken to and from marine terminals by trains, reducing truck trips. The facility will enhance the Port’s competitiveness and help the Port meet environmental targets by providing seamless connection to the national rail network, tripling Long Beach on-dock rail capacity, and reducing rail dwell time from four days to 24 hours by 2032.

Construction began in 2024 and completion of the entire project is expected in 2032. View the fact sheet and more information at the project page.