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Alameda Corridor Chairwoman Hahn Attributes Project Success to Cooperation, Community Benefits |
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WASHINGTON,
D.C.– Los
Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn testified before a joint hearing of the
Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
on Wednesday. The committees are
currently examining alternatives for financing the nation’s surface
transportation system, and Councilwoman Hahn testified regarding the success of
the Alameda Corridor in the Los Angeles Basin.
The Councilwoman attributed the success of the Alameda Corridor freight
rail expressway project to cooperation among various governments and
competitors, and praised the project’s direct benefits to local communities. “The
Alameda Corridor has demonstrated that
governments can work together, and they can work with the private sector,
putting aside competition for the benefit of greater economic and societal good,”
Councilwoman Hahn, Chairwoman of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA)
Governing Board, said during her testimony. “Public-private
partnerships do in fact work and should be promoted and encouraged by federal
transportation legislation.” The
Councilwoman also explained that the project has positively impacted surrounding
communities. By eliminating more than 200
at-grade railroad crossings, the Alameda Corridor is projected to reduce
emissions from idling trucks and automobiles by 54 percent, slash delays at
railroad crossings by 90 percent and cut noise pollution by 90 percent.
In addition, Hahn testified that ACTA provided
construction-industry specific job training to almost 1,300 local residents as
well as life-skill training to 447 young adults who performed community
beautification projects through the Alameda Corridor Conservation Corps. “We have proven that communities don't have to
sacrifice quality of life to benefit from international trade and port and
economic activity,” Councilwoman Hahn explained. The
Alameda Corridor is a 20-mile-long freight rail expressway linking the
nation’s two busiest ports, Long Beach and Los Angeles, to the rail yards near
downtown Los Angeles. A trip between the ports and the rail yards that used to
take more than two hours on branch rail lines now takes about 45 minutes on the
Alameda Corridor, making cargo movements more efficient and increasing the
economic benefits of burgeoning international trade.
Today, approximately 35 freight trains per day utilize the Alameda
Corridor. That number is expected
to increase to 100 trains per day by 2020 as cargo volumes increase. The
$2.4 billion project opened April 15 on time and on budget.
Funding came from multiple sources, including the U.S. Department of
Transportation; the California Transportation Commission; the Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA); the Port of Long Beach; the Port of
Los Angeles; various other federal, state and local sources, and private
investors. The project was built by
ACTA, a joint powers authority governed by representatives of the two ports, the
Long Beach and Los Angeles city councils and the MTA.
The Alameda Corridor is operated by the two ports together with the Union
Pacific Railroad and The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. Among
those who have praised the Alameda Corridor are U.S. Transportation Secretary
Norman Mineta, former Transportation Secretaries Federico Peña, Samuel Skinner
and Rodney Slater, and California Gov. Gray Davis. Oral Testimony of Chairwoman Hahn NEWS
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