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BNSF Secures Local Green Light for $4B Barstow Intermodal Gateway

BNSF Railway won Barstow City Council approval for the Barstow International Gateway, a $4 billion intermodal hub designed to handle container traffic from the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex. The 4,500-acre facility will accommodate 60 trains in the high desert region east of Los Angeles, serving as a critical junction on the southern transcontinental rail route. BNSF projects the gateway will generate approximately 20,000 direct and indirect jobs while reducing truck congestion in the Los Angeles Basin and Inland Empire. The project faced significant opposition over environmental impacts, infrastructure capacity, and air quality concerns. A major regulatory hurdle was removed in January 2025 when California withdrew a proposed in-use locomotive rule with the EPA that had threatened project viability. California Environmental Quality Act review remains pending. Some industry analysts have raised questions about the transloading model's long-term sustainability without sufficient westbound empty container flows.