Port of Los Angeles, CA rail freight: what lands here and where it goes inland

The largest vessel imports here, year to date through July 2026, are plastics and resin (about $5,660 million), mineral fuels (about $4,464 million), rubber (about $2,925 million) among the 22 commodity chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks. The port district is reached by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, which is what makes the Los Angeles gateway useful for shippers whose plants sit hundreds of miles inland. boxed-cargo dominant. This page pairs the Census import data behind the Commodity Flow Map port layer with the railroads, transload capacity and inland lanes that turn a vessel arrival into a rail move.

Top imports by vessel

Vessel imports at Los Angeles, CA, year to date through July 2026, US$ millions, for the commodity chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks.

Railroads at the port

• BNSF Railway (BNSF)
• Union Pacific (UP)

Where more than one Class I reaches a port, the routing choice sets the inland rate, the interchange points and which inland terminals are single-line. That is the first question a lane audit answers.

Rail transload and terminal capacity nearby

Rail-served transload facilities within 30 miles of the port, from the Steel Wheel Transload Directory:

• A&R Transport Inc — Santa Fe Springs, CA (18 mi): Sampling Services, Scale
• A&R Transport Inc — Buena Park, CA (18 mi): third-party-warehouse; Sampling Services, Scale
• Plastic Express — Commerce, CA (19 mi): Sampling Services, Scale
• Ventura Transfer Co — Commerce, CA (19 mi): transload-terminal; Air Compressor, Blower, Bulk Conveyor, Liquid Pumps
• Plastic Express — Fullerton, CA (22 mi): Sampling Services, Scale
• Plastic Express — City of Industry, CA (27 mi): Sampling Services, Scale
• Mhx LLC — Vernon, CA (18 mi): transload-terminal
• Ventura Transfer Co — Wilmington, CA (3 mi): transload-terminal; Air Compressor, Blower, Bulk Conveyor, Liquid Pumps

Distances are straight-line from the port's Census coordinates. Capabilities are as listed by the operator; confirm before routing.

Typical inland lanes from this port

How the top import groups typically move inland from Los Angeles. These describe the flow, not a price: run the indicative rail rate from Los Angeles for a first number.

• Imported resin and polymer moves in covered hoppers and boxcars to compounders and converters across the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. Indicative rail rate from Los Angeles.
• Imported crude, refined products and petroleum coke move in tank cars and hoppers to refineries, blending terminals, cement kilns and power plants inland. Indicative rail rate from Los Angeles.
• Imported natural rubber and rubber goods move in boxcars to tire plants and manufacturers in the Southeast, Ohio Valley and Midwest. Indicative rail rate from Los Angeles.
• Imported line pipe, tubular goods and fabricated steel moves to pipe yards, fabricators and energy basins in Texas, Oklahoma, the Rockies and the Appalachian shale region. Indicative rail rate from Los Angeles.
• Imported alcohols, solvents and chemical intermediates move in tank cars to chemical, pharmaceutical and coatings plants along the Gulf Coast, the Ohio Valley and the Northeast. Indicative rail rate from Los Angeles.
• Imported aluminum ingot, billet and coil moves in gondolas and boxcars to extruders, rolling mills and automotive suppliers in the Midwest, Southeast and Texas. Indicative rail rate from Los Angeles.

Priced lanes from Los Angeles

Indicative single-car estimates from our rate model for lanes we have already priced out of this port. Not a quote; the serving railroad confirms the rate.

Common questions

Which railroads serve the Port of Los Angeles?

BNSF Railway and Union Pacific reach the Los Angeles, CA port district. boxed-cargo dominant.

What does the Port of Los Angeles import the most?

By vessel value, year to date through July 2026, the largest imports at Los Angeles among the chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks are plastics and resin (about $5,660 million), mineral fuels (about $4,464 million), rubber (about $2,925 million). Total tracked vessel imports were about $24,527 million. Source: U.S. Census Bureau International Trade API.

Can I move imported plastics and resin from Los Angeles inland by rail?

The largest tracked vessel import group at Los Angeles is plastics and resin (about $5,660 million year to date through July 2026), and the port district is reached by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific. The Steel Wheel transload directory lists at least 8 rail-served transload facilities within 30 miles of the port. Use the indicative rail rate tool for a first estimate and a lane audit to confirm routing; estimates are indicative until confirmed with the serving railroad.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, general imports by port of entry, vessel value, year to date through July 2026. Steel Wheel Logistics analysis.