BNSF heralds plans for a new Southern California facility

Earlier this month, Fort Worth, Texas-based Class I railroad carrier BNSF Railway said it plans to invest more than $1.5 billion into what it described as a Southern California “state-of-the-art master-planned rail facility,” adding it is the first being developed by a Class I railroad.

Company officials said that this new facility—the Barstow International Gateway—will be comprised of roughly 4,500 acres located on the west side of Barstow, including a rail yard, intermodal facility and warehouses for transloading freight from international containers to domestic containers.

What’s more BNSF added that this facility will allow the direct transfer of containers from ships at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to trains for transport through the Alameda Corridor onto the BNSF mainline up to Barstow. At that point, it said that when the containers reach the Barstow International Gateway, they will then be processed at the facility using clean-energy powered cargo-handling equipment, and then staged and built into trains moving east via BNSF’s network across the nation, with Westbound freight being similarly processed at the facility to more efficiently bring trains to the ports and other California terminals.

“By allowing for more efficient transfer of cargo directly between ships and rail, the Barstow International Gateway will maximize rail and distribution efficiency regionally and across the U.S. supply chain and reduce truck traffic and freeway congestion in the Los Angeles Basin and the Inland Empire,” said Katie Farmer, President and CEO of BNSF. “This will play a critical role in improving fluidity throughout our rail network, moving containers off the ports quicker, and facilitating improved efficiency at our existing intermodal hubs, including those in the Midwest and Texas. The facility will also have an important positive economic impact, including the creation of new, local railroad jobs.”

BNSF Railway General Director, Public Affairs, Lena Kent told LM that the Barstow International Gateway will be the first-of-its-kind facility and one of the largest investments BNSF has made in its system.

“We work hard to ensure we are able to continue to operate an efficient rail network and provide our customers with the level of service they have come to expect from BNSF,” she said.

Plans for this new gateway were endorsed by leadership at the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB).

“BNSF’s planned Barstow International Gateway will improve cargo velocity through our port and reduce truck traffic on our freeways,” said POLA Executive Director Gene Seroka. “This project will help ensure that goods moving through the San Pedro Bay will get to consumers, businesses and manufacturers with speed and reliability.”

Mario Cordero, POLB Executive Director said that the port welcomes BNSF’s planned Barstow International Gateway in the high desert.

“This project will help improve supply chain fluidity, reduce environmental impacts and enhance the competitiveness of California and the nation’s largest port complex,” said Cordero.