The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) has shared that it successfully completed its annual emergency training exercise in collaboration with multiple fire department agencies.
First responders received training on potential emergent scenarios involving a large-scale fire, hazardous material incident and an injured person inside the Corridor trench.
The event took place on the 22 March 2026.
Michael Leue, Chief Executive Officer of ACTA shared: “The annual emergency training exercise is critically important to ensuring coordination and safety in the event of an emergency along the Alameda Corridor.
“The drill is a result of months of coordination across agencies to ensure we equip our first responders with the knowledge, tools and experience to navigate crises in the Alameda Corridor’s unique environment.”
The Alameda Corridor is a 20-mile-long rail “expressway” that connects cargo from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to the centralized rail yards near downtown Los Angeles, before heading onto regional and national transport.
The Corridor has moved more than 100 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of multi-modal cargo and its centerpiece is a mid-corridor trench.
The 30-foot-deep trench carries cargo below grade to separate freight trains from street traffic and passenger trains, eliminating at-grade crossings and improving efficiency.
The drill involved representatives from Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), Compton Fire Department, Long Beach Fire Department, Montebello Fire Department, Downey Fire Department, Santa Fe Springs HazMat, Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway and representatives of ACTA.
More than 150 fire, police and other emergency services personnel took part in the training exercise along a one-block section of the Corridor in the City of Compton.
Crews had an opportunity to cut open the inside of a rail car to simulate extinguishing a fire.
First responders also geared up in hazmat suits to address a chlorine spill from a chemical tanker car and extracted a dummy from the trench using a crane and stretcher.
By conducting the drill on, disruptions to the daily flow of cargo were minimized.
Deputy Fire Chief Reginald Donald, Compton Fire explained: “The types of scenarios we trained on in the Alameda Corridor today can be extremely high-risk.
“Being able to equip our crews with invaluable knowledge and firsthand experience is critically important to maintaining their safety, as well as the safety of communities surrounding the Corridor.
“It’s great to see so many agencies work together in pursuit of a safer Alameda Corridor.”
