Alameda Corridor

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Freight rail line in Los Angeles, California

title: "Alameda Corridor" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["california-railroads", "rail-lines-in-california", "landmarks-in-los-angeles", "transportation-in-long-beach,-california", "union-pacific-railroad", "union-pacific-railroad-lines", "non-operating-common-carrier-freight-railroads-in-the-united-states", "2002-establishments-in-california", "bnsf-railway-lines"] description: "Freight rail line in Los Angeles, California" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Corridor" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Freight rail line in Los Angeles, California ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox rail line"]

FieldValue
nameAlameda Corridor
logoLogo Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority 2022.svg
logo_width60px
imageAlamedia RR Corridor and downtown LA another shot.jpg
image_width200
captionAerial view showing Alameda Corridor trench in South Los Angeles
typefreight terminal railroad
localeLos Angeles County
open
yearcommenced
yearcompleted
close
ownerAlameda Corridor Transportation Authority
operator{{Unbulleted list
characterLargely grade-separated freight railroad
linelength_mi20
tracks3
gauge
speed_mph40
website
map
map_statecollapsed
::

| name = Alameda Corridor | box_width = | other_name = | color = | logo = Logo Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority 2022.svg | logo_width = 60px | logo_alt = | image = Alamedia RR Corridor and downtown LA another shot.jpg | image_width = 200 | image_alt = | caption = Aerial view showing Alameda Corridor trench in South Los Angeles | type = freight terminal railroad | system = | status = | locale = Los Angeles County | start = | end = | routes = | open = | yearcommenced = | yearcompleted = | close = | owner = Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority | operator = {{Unbulleted list | BNSF Railroad | Union Pacific Railroad | Pacific Harbor Line | character = Largely grade-separated freight railroad | depot = | stock = | linelength_mi = 20 | tracklength_km = | tracklength_mi = | tracklength = | tracks = 3 | gauge = | load_gauge = | minradius = | electrification = | speed_mph = 40 | signalling = | elevation_m = | elevation_ft = | elevation = | website = | map = | map_name = | map_state = collapsed | embedded = The Alameda Corridor is a 20 mi freight rail "expressway" owned by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority that connects the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with the transcontinental mainlines of the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad that terminate near downtown Los Angeles, California. Running largely in a trench below Alameda Street, the corridor was considered one of the region's largest transportation projects when it was constructed in the 1990s and early 2000s.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Alameda_corridor_trench.jpg" caption="Compton]]."] ::

The railway line along Alameda Street was originally laid out by Los Angeles' foundational Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad, which opened to traffic in 1869. The railroad would go on to be acquired by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1873, becoming their San Pedro Branch.

A 1984 study by the Ports Advisory Committee recommended the San Pedro Branch be upgraded to meet the growing demands of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. These rail lines were inadequately protected with little more than "wigwag" crossing signals dating from the original construction of the lines. In response, the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority was established in August 1989 to plan for upgrades along the route.

By the early 1990s, the Southern Pacific was in a difficult financial position and sold the Alameda Street corridor to the Ports of Long Beach for in December 1994 ($ in adjusted for inflation). This allowed the ACTA to begin building a freight rail "expressway" from the ports to the major rail yards near Downtown Los Angeles. The centerpiece of the new Alameda Corridor would be the "Mid-Corridor Trench," a below-ground, triple-tracked rail line that is 10 mi long, 33 ft deep, and 50 ft wide, with a track spacing of 15 ft. The trench and the larger Alameda Corridor would allow freight trains to travel 40 mph without concerns about grade-crossing collisions or having to blow their horns as they traveled through neighborhoods. The corridor would be open to both BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad (UP) trains via trackage rights.

The line began operation on April 15, 2002, and reached a peak of 60 train movements per day in October 2006. Trains have become much longer since: in 2006, the line carried 19,924 trains carrying 4.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, while in 2021, only 10,928 trains carried the same 4.9 million TEUs. The cost of the line was pegged at $2.1 billion at opening ($ in adjusted for inflation).

In 2013, the railroad carried 33% of the freight traveling to and from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Fifteen percent of the nation’s container traffic travels through the corridor according to the Transit Authority.

While the Mid-Corridor trench is the spine of the corridor, the Alameda Corridor Transit Authority also maintains more than 65 miles of freight rail track, with 125 turnouts, ten rail bridges, signals at 48 locations, seven grade crossings, and two stormwater pump stations.

In 2024, the Alameda Belt Line (using the name and charter of a former line in Northern California) took over dispatching as a neutral third party. It is a jointly owned subsidiary of BNSF and UP.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Alameda_Corridor_map.svg" caption="The Alameda Corridor highlighted among several former mainline routes to the Port of Los Angeles"] ::

Additional developments

Alameda Corridor–East

The Alameda Corridor–East project was established in 1998 by the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments to upgrade over 70 miles of railroad tracks in the area east of Downtown Los Angeles. The project includes 19 grade separations and elimination of 23 grade crossings along UP's Alhambra Subdivision and the Los Angeles Subdivision. The crossings, which were previously at grade, tied up traffic on north–south streets for long periods multiple times a day as long freight trains pass en route to and from the UP yards in Vernon and Commerce. As of 2023, over a dozen grade separations have been completed, with several more under construction or in design.

Included as part of the Alameda Corridor–East project is the $336.9 million San Gabriel Trench, which submerged the track between Ramona Street and San Gabriel Boulevard in San Gabriel. Construction began in 2012 and was completed in 2017.

Possible electrification

The Alameda Corridor was built in a way to permit electrification with the use of electric catenary wires, which would increase the environmental benefit by displacing the use of diesel fuel, but the electrification has not happened as of yet. This solution has largely been ignored due to lack of familiarity with electric freight technology in North America, although electric freight trains operate in many other parts of the world. Electrification could reduce air pollution in the region, which has been described as a "Diesel Death Zone" due to the pollution from trucks on Interstate 710.

References

References

  1. (February 2002). "Stiff track modulus considerations". RT&S: Railway Track & Structures.
  2. Uranga, Rachel. (October 20, 2016). "How an obscure Alameda Corridor rail agency avoided public accountability laws for years". [[Long Beach Press Telegram]].
  3. (April 7, 2002). "New Alameda Corridor Has Historic Roots". Los Angeles Times.
  4. Cerny, L. T.. (May 2002). "Alameda corridor opens to traffic in L.A.". RT&S: Railway Track & Structures.
  5. "History". Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority.
  6. Zamichow, Nora. (September 9, 1993). "Wilson OKs Use of Eminent Domain to Create Railway Corridor: Transit: Governor urges that condemnation be used only as a last resort in talks with Southern Pacific, which wants $260 million for its route between Downtown and the Harbor area.". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  7. (December 30, 1994). "Railroads: Line sold". Oakland Tribune.
  8. Fortner, Brian. (September 2002). "The Train Lane". Civil Engineering.
  9. Wanek-Libman, Mischa. "The trials of track inspection". [[Railway Track and Structures]].
  10. (March 2023). "Corridor Statistics". Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority.
  11. (November 23, 2019). "Is the Alameda Corridor in Trouble?".
  12. (April 28, 2020). "Longtime shipping and infrastructure executive takes helm at Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority". City News Service.
  13. Stephens, Bill. (June 14, 2024). "Third party to take over dispatching of Alameda Corridor". Trains News Wire.
  14. Surface Transportation Board. (July 26, 2024). "Alameda Belt Line-Operation Exemption-Board of Harbor Commissioners of the Port of Los Angeles, Board of Harbor Commissioners (Long Beach), and Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority".
  15. "Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority Project Overview".
  16. (June 4, 2023). "ACE Project Schedule". San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments.
  17. Ortega, Fred. (April 10, 2008). "State OKs funds for San Gabriel crossing". [[Pasadena Star News]].
  18. Aragon, Greg. (December 11, 2015). "$1.6 billion Alameda Corridor-East Construction Project Gets Boost from CTC". Engineering News-Record.
  19. Pool, Bob. (February 6, 2012). "At a planned train trench, an archaeological treasure trove". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  20. "Alameda Corridor Environmental Impact Report". Myra L. Franks & Associates, Inc..
  21. Yanity, Brian. (July 29, 2018). "The Potential of Electric Freight Rail in Southern California".
  22. Nelson, Laura. (March 1, 2018). "710 Freeway is a 'diesel death zone' to neighbors — can vital commerce route be fixed?". Los Angeles Times.
  23. (August 26, 2019). "RailWorks Corp. selected to inspect track in Southern California". American Journal of Transportation.

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california-railroadsrail-lines-in-californialandmarks-in-los-angelestransportation-in-long-beach,-californiaunion-pacific-railroadunion-pacific-railroad-linesnon-operating-common-carrier-freight-railroads-in-the-united-states2002-establishments-in-californiabnsf-railway-lines