POLA'S ON-DOCK RAIL TERMINAL: THE INTERMODAL CONTAINER TERMINAL OF THE FUTURE

Meeting market demands by delivering products to customers as quickly as possible is a key concern of businesses today. This concern has been complicated because of the industrial globalization of manufacturers and the continuous development of international markets. In this international market, the efficient movement of goods is important to manufacturers as well as to the markets they serve. What does all this mean to today's seaports? To the Port of Los Angeles (POLA), it means developing efficient intermodal terminals that minimize the time it takes to move a container from ship to rail and into the national rail network. In a quest to deliver efficiencies to its shipping customers, POLA has created an intermodal terminal that effectively combines a ship-to-rail transfer area within their traditional container terminal. This next generation of intermodal terminals will help POLA maintain its preeminence as the largest and busiest container port in the United States. Introducing a rail terminal into the traditional marine container terminal makes sense because of the common elements in operation as well as in physical site improvements; however, many competing demands must be considered. This paper examines planning and design considerations, both complementing and competing, that have to be addressed when introducing a new mode of transportation into or adjacent to the traditional marine container terminal.