The Port of Long Beach is modernizing its rail facilities and enhancing air quality as part of its sustainability plans.

Mario Cordero, chief executive officer of the Port of Long Beach, announced the construction of the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility — with the aim to make Long Beach the world's first zero-emissions seaport.

The construction will start this year, Cordero said, during his 7th State of the Port Address. He added that the facility aims to move cargo more quickly, make the port more competitive and improve the environment for nearby communities.

"Today, I can represent to you that the state of our Green Port is strong," Cordero told 800 industry partners, community members, and civic leaders.

"We have gone through one of the greatest challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic — and we've emerged, still the premier gateway for trans-Pacific trade," he added.

"At the end of this decade, the Port of Long Beach will be on the cusp of not only operational transformation given our rail investment, but also environmental transformation – to a zero-emission port," the port chief further said.

As the centrepiece of the Port's on-dock rail projects, the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility will move freight faster and more sustainably.

Cordero noted that it will double the size of the existing Pier B rail yard to 171 acres and more than triple the volume of on-dock rail capacity handled annually to 4.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

The US$1.567 billion project, which will be built in phases, is scheduled for completion in 2032.

Cordero said so far, the Port has secured US$643 million in federal, state and local grant funding to help complete the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility — more than US$500 million of which was awarded in 2023.

"Pier B will enhance the Port's competitiveness, maintain its role as an economic force for the region and serve as a sustainability model for ports in the US and abroad," said Bobby Olvera Jr., president of the Long Beach Harbor Commission.

"We're rebuilding, electrifying equipment and decarbonizing operations while developing the skilled human talent that will make the Port thrive for decades to come," he added.

Meanwhile, Port of Long Beach said it closed 2023 with 8,018,668 TEUs moved, down 12.2% from 2022 and slightly ahead of pre-pandemic levels reported in 2019.

Imports declined 12.7% to 3,804,356 TEUs, and exports decreased 9.4% to 1,282,437 TEUs.

Empty containers moved through the Port were down 12.7% to 2,931,876 TEUs.

The Port of Long Beach seeks to transition to zero-emission cargo handling by 2030 and zero-emissions trucking by 2035.

Cordero said he anticipates additional funding over the coming year for several projects, including the Port's effort to develop a "hydrogen hub" that would fuel cargo-handling equipment with zero-emissions technology.