More than one million on-dock rail lifts took place at the Port of Los Angeles in 2005, moving nearly a quarter of all containers passing through the port last year-- an increase of more than 23% over 2004 rail moves.
'We're moving in the right direction,' said Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D., executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. 'Our customers are doing a fantastic job of making rail usage a priority, as the numbers clearly show. We've nearly doubled the number of on-dock lifts in three years ' and we're not slowing down.'
Port of Los Angeles on-dock rail usage has steadily increased since 2002:
- 2002: 549,062 lifts: 16.3% of all lifts
- 2003: 760,764 lifts: 19.2% of all lifts
- 2004: 823,620 lifts: 20.4% of all lifts
- 2005: 1,010,267 lifts: 24.5% of all lifts
'It's real simple: efficient rail service is critical to the future of this Port,' said S. David Freeman, Los Angeles Harbor Commission president. 'Moving cargo by rail instead of by truck cuts down on air pollution. It's a good story that will get better as our Port and cooperating shippers implement the use of cleaner- burning to serve this region.'
There are four on-dock facilities serving six of the seven operational container terminals at the Port through a 57-mile network of tracks. Ten to twelve trains leave the Port every day, taking the equivalent of 2,500 trucks off the roads.
