Transpacific Lines adopt Alameda Corridor charge

Shipping lines moving container cargoes from Asia through Southern California ports say they will begin passing on to customers the added rail charges associated with the Alameda Corridor rail expressway, after that facility opens in April.

Effective April 15, lines will individually pass through charges of $15 per loaded 20 ?foot ?container equivalent (TEU) and $30 per loaded 40- foot-container equivalent (FEU). Proportionate charges are in place for other equipment sizes based on a formula of 75 cents per liner container foot for a loaded waterborne container. The charge will apply to all containers moving through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and transported out of the Southern California area by rail.

The $ 2.4 billion Alameda Corridor project is a new express rail link between Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors and transcontinental rail yards some 20 miles inland, each of downtown Los Angeles. It is designed to expedite the movement of longhaul intermodal container traffic in and out of the harbors, thus reducing truck highway and gate congestion, waits at grade crossings, and vehicle pollution.

Nearly half of the project has been funded through revenue bonds that are being repaid through railroad user fees. The railroads in turn have passed those charges on to ocean carriers. The rail charges, as with the carrier pass ?through, apply whether or not a container moves through the Alameda Corridor.

Ocean carrier members of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) say they cannot afford to each absorb several million dollars in annual user fees for a facility primarily intended to benefit freight shippers and communities surrounding the Los Angeles ?Long Beach harbor area.

The Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) is a voluntary discussion and research forum of 14 major container shipping lines serving the trade from Asia to ports and inland points throughout the U.S Members include:

APL, CMA-CGM, COSHAN, Evergreen, Hanjin Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, K-Line, Maersk ?Sealand, MOL, NYK, OOCL, P&O Nedlloyd, Yangming.