Intermodal Connectivity: Georgia, Oakland

Georgia Ports Authority Wins $44 Million FAST Grant for Rail Expansion

The Georgia Ports Authority has received a $44 million Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to increase rail capacity at the Port of Savannah.

"As the nation's fourth busiest container port, Savannah's continued rail expansion is a key component to freight mobility in this country," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. This transformative project will not only increase rail capacity and velocity at the Garden City Container Terminal, but will also provide substantial benefits to surrounding communities by improving public safety, reducing environmental impacts and avoiding commuter traffic."

The $44 million award, made possible through the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects (NSFHP) Program, is a significant portion of a total $128 million project known as the Port of Savannah International Multi-modal Connector. The project is expected to take five years to complete.

Currently, 18 percent of the containers handled at Garden City Terminal moves on Class I railroads Norfolk Southern and CSX. Container throughput at the Port of Savannah reached a record high in 2015 of 3.73 million TEUs.

"Investments such as this and the related inland rail facilities throughout Georgia will help shift more containers from truck to rail, allowing greater efficiency and reduced highway congestion," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "Rail cargo will play an important role in our future, not only increasing our capacity, but opening up new markets for Georgia's ports."

Port of Oakland Welcomes First Train to New $100M Near-Dock Facility

The Port of Oakland on July 7 welcomed the first train to use the $100 million near-dock rail facility at the former Army Base. The new tracks are located in the port’s Outer Harbor Intermodal Terminal area. The port sees rail as a critical aspect of its strategy to enhance competitiveness by expanding its intermodal capabilities.

The 100-car train was carrying agricultural products shipped by Archer Daniels Midlands from the U.S. Midwest for export to Asia. The cargo will be transferred from the rail cars directly to containers by port tenant Capital River Group and delivered to the terminals for export. The Port of Oakland has seen a growing market for agricultural products, especially from the Midwest and from California’s Central and Salinas valleys.

"The port envisioned a rail yard that would bring cargo through Oakland," said Port Maritime Director John Driscoll. "This was made possible by maritime business partners such as Union Pacific Railroad and government funding partners."

The new facility consists of five manifest yard tracks and eight support yard tracks, or 39,000 linear feet. Manifest yards receive rail cars from Class I railroads. Support yards are used for short-term storage. Warehouses and distribution centers are also envisioned for the former Army Base.

The rail yard was built using California state Trade Corridor Improvement Funds (TCIF) and federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery(TIGER) grants.