WASHINGTON — Alameda Belt Line can take over rail operations at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, federal regulators have ruled.
The decision today (Thursday, Nov. 12) by the Surface Transportation Board ends the board’s postponement of the transfer and denies a request for a “housekeeping stay” by Pacific Harbor Line, the current contract operator at the ports. PHL had requested the stay on Oct. 7, saying ABL had yet to obtain the necessary agreements and had not addressed how service would be transferred without interruption [see “Pacific Harbor Line urges regulators …,” Trains.com, Oct. 8, 2026].
Transfers of short line operations are typically exempt from board review. But the board delayed the ABL exemption last month, saying it needed time to consider the PHL request and ABL reply [see ,” Oct. 15, 2026]…