UC Berkeley's Rob Leachman presented Strategic Initiatives for Inland Movement of Containerized Imports at San Pedro Bay at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 at the ITS Transportation Seminar in 290 Hearst Memorial Mining Building.
Abstract
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (the “SPB Ports”) handle more containers of imported cargo than any other port complex in the United States. In 2015 over three-quarters of the contents of those containers were destined to points far beyond the LA Basin and the Ports’ economic hinterland, yet these shipments resulted in significant intra-regional truck and rail shipments with significant negative environmental impacts. Mitigating those impacts is the focus of this talk.
In the recent past a significant trend has emerged, and is accelerating, that will increase the amount of highway-borne movement of imports within the Basin. Fewer international containers are being shipped “intact” to US inland points by rail while an increasing percentage are drayed to points within the Basin for de-vanning, sorting or inventorying, and finally re-loading the imported goods into domestic containers or trailers. This research explores the forces driving the trend away from the intact shipment of international containers by rail (known as inland point intermodal or “IPI” service), identifies public-private initiatives that should be taken to mitigate its effects, and quantifies the associated air quality and congestion benefits for the LA Basin.