BNSF Railway revealed plans to spend more than $1.5 billion to build the first Class 1 railroad complex in Southern California on 1st October 2022.

Key Takeaways:

• BNSF will build a new integrated rail complex called the Barstow International Gateway on the west side of Barstow. 

• It will be around 4,500 acres large and include a rail yard, an intermodal facility, and warehouses for loading cargo from international containers into domestic containers. 

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Construction of The Barstow International Gateway

The Barstow International Gateway will enable direct container transfer from ships at Los Angeles and Long Beach ports to trains. It will help transportation across the Alameda Corridor and onto the BNSF mainline up to Barstow. 

The containers will be staged and formed onto trains going east via BNSF’s network across the country. 

The facility will similarly handle westbound freight to transport trains to ports and other California terminals more effectively.

Benefits of Barstow International Gateway 

The Barstow International Gateway will increase regional and national rail and distribution efficiency. It will also lessen truck traffic and road congestion in the Los Angeles Basin and the Inland Empire by enabling more effective freight transfer directly between ships and rail. 

It will be crucial in enhancing the efficiency of current intermodal hubs, such as those in the Midwest and Texas. It will also increase container removal rates from ports and network-wide rail fluidity. Additionally, the facility will have a significant beneficial economic impact, leading to the development of new employment in the local railroad industry.

It is impossible to emphasize the importance of BNSF’s commitment to enhancing the supply chain in California. Due to congestion in many of our high-traffic routes, rail is essential for securely transporting products and lowering emissions. 

Local economies like Barstow in San Bernardino County will benefit from projects like BNSF. BSNF is working with initiatives like these and others to encourage transformative investments that will improve and elevate California’s supply chain ecosystem for a more effective and resilient future.

The Barstow International Gateway, which BNSF is planning, will increase cargo throughput at our port and decrease truck traffic on our roadways. This initiative will ensure that products traveling through San Pedro Bay reach customers, companies, and manufacturers quickly and reliably.

The Port of Long Beach welcomes the high desert’s proposed Barstow International Gateway. This project will increase California’s competitiveness and that of the largest port complex in the country while reducing its environmental effect and increasing the mobility of the supply chain.

Wrap Up!

The County of San Bernardino significantly aids the transfer of commodities to the rest of the country. The Barstow International Gateway will be crucial in demonstrating fresh, practical approaches to supply chain problems that have affected everyone over the past few years.

This BNSF’s new project will boost equality, opportunity, and the high desert’s economic competitiveness while bringing thousands of jobs to Barstow. Since the city’s founding, BNSF has played a significant role in strengthening the economy of San Bernardino.