The Barstow (Calif.) City Council has approved a proposed $4 billion intermodal hub BNSF Railway says is a key component for the future of freight moving into and out of the Southern California port complex, the nation’s busiest.
The Barstow International Gateway will cover 4,500 acres and create capacity for 60 trains in the high desert east of Los Angeles, the gateway to the southern transcontinental rail route handling container traffic moving out of San Pedro Bay.
The project on the west side of the historic railroad town of 25,000 turned into a clash between economic-development claims and concerns about environmental, traffic, and community impacts, with a newer wrinkle around California air rules and permitting delays.
Supporters say it will shift cargo off highways, create jobs, and improve supply-chain efficiency, while critics argue it could increase local pollution, strain infrastructure, and face operational or regulatory limits.
Fort Worth-based BNSF (NYSE: BRK-B) frames the project as a private, $1.5 billion-to-$4 billion investment for a 4,500-acre integrated rail and logistics hub. The company argues it would reduce truck traffic in the Los Angeles Basin and Inland Empire, improve port-to-rail fluidity from LA-Long Beach, and create about 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The strongest objections center on environmental review and land-use concerns, especially the project’s scale, its potential local impacts, and whether promised emissions benefits outweigh added rail activity. In public commentary, opponents have also raised health-and-safety worries, infrastructure bottlenecks, and whether the area can support the operation at the stated scale.
A major recent issue was the California Air Research Board’s proposed in-use locomotive rule, which BNSF and city officials said threatened the project over zero-emission locomotive technology that is not commercially viable. CARB withdrew that application with the Environmental Protection Agency in January 2025, removing one of the biggest immediate threats, though California Environmental Quality Act review is pending.
Some rail observers have questioned the project’s transloading model itself, arguing it may be hard to sustain without a natural westbound flow of empty domestic containers and may create extra handling and repositioning costs.
“BIG is a transformative, next generation rail facility that will deliver meaningful benefits for our customers,” said BNSF President and Chief Executive Katie Farmer, in a statement. “By creating a more resilient, efficient, and low-carbon freight system, we’re giving shippers faster, more reliable inland access and greater network fluidity. This $4 billion private investment strengthens the entire
supply chain, reduces congestion at the ports, and gives our customers a seamless product that also offers our customers greater optionality and flexibility.”
BNSF obtains local approval as federal regulators evaluate the proposed $85-billion merger of Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC), a potentially historic deal which would create the first all-freight transcontinental railroad. UP has pitched truck-competitive transit times for containers moving between the coasts, significantly upping the competitive ante among Class I carriers.
“BIG is designed with our customers at the center,” said BNSF Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Tom Williams, in a statement. “By streamlining the handoff from the San Pedro Bay Ports to our national network, we’re improving transit times, increasing capacity, and enhancing service reliability across long-haul corridors. This facility will help our customers compete in a global marketplace by ensuring their freight moves efficiently, sustainably, and with fewer bottlenecks from origin to destination.”
BNSF said BIG is projected to eliminate approximately 205 million truck miles traveled (TMT) in 2028, 269 million in 2033, and 312 million in 2048.
The railroad plans to operate an array of zero-emission rail mounted gantry cranes; hybrid rubber-tired gantry cranes; zero emission forklifts and hostlers, and electric plug-ins for refrigerated units.
BNSF said it has voluntarily agreed to replace Barstow’s diesel switcher locomotives with the cleanest available
Tier 4 engines.
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Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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