Pacific Harbor Line
Encyclopedia
The Pacific Harbor Line was formed in 1998 to take over the Harbor Belt Line (HBL). In 1998, the Alameda Corridor
was nearing completion, allowing a massive amount of railroad traffic from the largest harbors in the Western hemisphere: Port of Los Angeles
and Port of Long Beach
.
The railroad has 18 route miles with a web of 59 miles of track.
, the Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific. The PHL, in contrast, is privately owned by the Anacostia & Pacific Company
. It operates on tracks and facilities owned by the ports.
One of the problems with the HBL arrangement was that shipper could have problems getting their goods to or from the port depending on where an individual railroad's track ended.
The PHL hailed itself as a neutral switching railroad that could reliably serve shippers at this large port complex. PHL handles 40,000 carloads of freight a year excluding intermodal traffic.
PHL was the first railroad to have its locomotive fleet composed only of Tier II and Tier III "clean diesel" locomotives.
Pacific Harbor Line was named the 2009 Shortline of the Year by Railway Age
magazine.
Alameda Corridor
The Alameda Corridor is a 20 mile freight rail "expressway" owned by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority , connecting the national rail system near downtown Los Angeles, California to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, running parallel to Alameda Street...
was nearing completion, allowing a massive amount of railroad traffic from the largest harbors in the Western hemisphere: Port of Los Angeles
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
and Port of Long Beach
Port of Long Beach
The Port of Long Beach, also known as Long Beach’s Harbor Department, is the 2nd busiest container port in the USA. It adjoins the separate Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for U.S.-Asian trade, the port occupies of land with of waterfront in the city of Long Beach, California...
.
The railroad has 18 route miles with a web of 59 miles of track.
Overview
The PHL was formed to create a level playing field for shippers. Up to that time, the HBL was owned and operated by the major railroads in Los Angeles; the Southern PacificSouthern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
, the Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific. The PHL, in contrast, is privately owned by the Anacostia & Pacific Company
Anacostia and Pacific Company
Anacostia and Pacific Company is a transportation development and consulting firm responsible for the operations of several railroads:*Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad*Louisville and Indiana Railroad*New York and Atlantic Railway...
. It operates on tracks and facilities owned by the ports.
One of the problems with the HBL arrangement was that shipper could have problems getting their goods to or from the port depending on where an individual railroad's track ended.
The PHL hailed itself as a neutral switching railroad that could reliably serve shippers at this large port complex. PHL handles 40,000 carloads of freight a year excluding intermodal traffic.
PHL was the first railroad to have its locomotive fleet composed only of Tier II and Tier III "clean diesel" locomotives.
Pacific Harbor Line was named the 2009 Shortline of the Year by Railway Age
Railway Age
Railway Age is an American trade journal for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. The magazine's original title was the Western Railroad Gazette, and was renamed the Railroad Gazette in 1870...
magazine.