Barstow International Gateway (BIG) will indeed be big—huge, actually—4,100 acres, roughly seven times the size of 600-acre Barstow Yard. Located on the west side of Barstow along the Cajon Subdivision, it will consist of a rail yard, intermodal facility and warehouses for transloading freight from international containers to domestic containers. BNSF illustration BIG “will allow the direct transfer of containers from ships at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to intermodal trains for transport through the Alameda Corridor onto the BNSF main line up to Barstow,” BNSF noted. “Once the containers reach BIG, they will 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. Westbound freight will similarly be processed at the facility to bring trains more efficiently to the ports and other California terminals.” The Barstow International Gateway, BNSF added, “will create 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, and reduce port and highway congestion around the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.” It “will not replace or become an extension of our existing Barstow Yard,” BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent told Railway Age. “BNSF is developing this facility as a private investment. It is not a P3.” The construction schedule and opening date have not been determined. “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 BNSF President and CEO Katie Farmer. “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. And we appreciate the support from leaders at the state, regional and city level and look forward to building on our 140-year history in the High Desert to open the Barstow International Gateway as soon as possible.” OpenRailwayMap.org BNSF provided Railway Age with these details: The clean-energy powered cargo-handling equipment will include electric wide span cranes and electric yard trucks, which will be used to transfer containers to the on-site warehouses. The footprint of the project will be approximately 4,100 acres with the new intermodal facility, block swap yard and warehouses planned. The bulk of the facility will be centered within the approximately 4.5-mile-long corridor between Hinkley Rd. and Lenwood Rd. The block swap yard will feature numerous 16,000- and 10,000-foot tracks, and the longer tracks will be used to assemble or disassemble longer trains using the shorter 10,000-foot tracks. The intermodal facility will feature multiple sets of 10,000-foot- tracks, as well as several sets of 10,000-foot support tracks. Up to 10,000 parking stalls will be provided to support the intermodal facility operation—about 300 acres of new parking area. The new intermodal facility will have an Automated Gate System (AGS) to expedite operations and reduce truck idling. In the interim, BNSF is making improvements to the existing San Bernardino Intermodal Facility at Barstow Yard, which opened in July 2019. In June, the San Bernardino City Council voted to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report for BNSF’s “gap closure project,” which will add approximately 4.3 miles of new fourth main track in two segments along the current BNSF corridor from the BNSF overpass at State Street/University Parkway to the intermodal facility, located at 1535 W. 4th Street. BNSF’s $3.55 billion capital investment plan for 2022 allocated $283 million to projects in California, including the San Bernardino Intermodal Facility, which opened . The gap closure project is slated for completion in 2024. BNSF invested $27 million building the container-only San Bernardino Intermodal Facility. The railroad currently has the largest market share in intermodal freight traffic among Class I’s, and built this facility to relieve congestion at its other Southern California terminals along the Southern Transcon, such as Hobart Yard in Los Angeles. Barstow is on the California highway network at the junction of Interstate 15 (north-south) with Interstate 40 and State Route 58 (east-west). BNSF photo “The significance of BNSF’s investment to improve the supply chain here in California cannot be overstated. Rail plays a critical role in moving goods safely and efficiently, while reducing emissions due to congestion in many of our high-traffic corridors,” said Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development Deputy Director, Sustainable Freight and Supply Chain Development Trelynd Bradley. “Projects like BNSF’s will work to strengthen our inland local economies, such as that of Barstow in San Bernardino County. We look forward to continuing to work with projects like these, as well as others, to drive transformative investments that will enhance and elevate California’s supply chain ecosystem for a more efficient and resilient tomorrow.” “BNSF’s planned Barstow International Gateway will improve cargo velocity through our port and reduce truck traffic on our freeways,” said Port of Los Angeles 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.” “The Port of Long Beach welcomes BNSF’s planned Barstow International Gateway in the high desert,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “This project will help improve supply chain fluidity, reduce environmental impacts and enhance the competitiveness of California and the nation’s largest port complex.” “The County of San Bernardino plays a critical role in supporting the movement of goods to the rest of the country,” added San Bernardino County Supervisor for the Third District Dawn Rowe. “Barstow International Gateway will be essential for modeling new and efficient ways to address supply chain issues that have impacted everyone over the past several years.” “This facility will bring thousands of jobs to Barstow, while increasing equity, opportunity and the economic competitiveness of the high desert,” noted Barstow City Manager Willie A. Hopkins, Jr. “BNSF has been an important part of our city since its inception, and on this 75th anniversary, we are proud to partner with them to ensure our success in the future.” Download FAQs: Barstow-International-Gateway-FAQ-FINALDownload The post BNSF Going BIG in Barstow appeared first on Railway Age. Continue reading...
