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VICTORVILLE – 02/02/07 – The Southern California community of Victorville has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), to explore the development of a major intermodal logistics facility at the nearby Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA).

The intermodal facility will be a critical component in the development of the 3,500-acre Southern California Rail Complex at the SCLA.

Victorville is located in San Bernardino County, about 55 miles east of Los Angeles.According to city officials, the rail complex will provide a solution to Southern California’s growing distribution needs and supply chain congestion.

The average BNSF intermodal train moves the equivalent of what 220 trucks could move.

The SCLA, say transportation analysts, will improve the regional transportation system by offering a combination of rail, ground, and airfreight distribution.

The 3,500-acre complex near BNSF’s anticipated facility includes plans for 20 million square feet of manufacturing and distribution uses estimated to generate approximately 20,000 jobs.

That component will be developed by Stirling, a private sector partner and will be integrated with the planned intermodal facility.

Southern California Logistics Airport is jointly managed by the Southern California Logistics Airport Authority and Stirling, a Laguna Hills-based full-service airport development company specializing in master-planning and major land redevelopment.

Last year, the Texas-headquartered BNSF outlined plans to invest more than $100 million from its 2006 capital program to expand rail capacity in California and to maintain its track, facilities and equipment in good condition.

The BNSF's 2006 capacity enhancements in California included a $26 million expansion of parking and stacking capacity at itsHobart intermodal facility in Los Angeles; a $16 million track expansion on its main line near East Barstow; and a $9 million expansion of parking capacity at its San Bernardino intermodal facility, in addition to continuing work on a third main line on the Cajon subdivision.

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