Meyers Nave is Lead Counsel on BNSF’s Landmark Barstow International Gateway (BIG) Project, Securing Barstow City Council Approval and First-of-Its-Kind SB 149 Certification

Meyers Nave is lead counsel to BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) on the Barstow International Gateway (BIG) project, one of the most significant private freight infrastructure investments in California history. On June 17, 2026, the Barstow City Council approved the project, marking a landmark milestone in a matter that spans land use, environmental law, CEQA strategy, transportation infrastructure, and statewide economic policy.

The BIG project is a $4 billion, 4,500-acre, state-of-the-art integrated rail facility scheduled to break ground later this year on the west side of Barstow, California. The project has received gubernatorial certification as a transportation-related infrastructure project under Senate Bill 149 (SB 149). As BNSF noted in announcing the City Council’s approval, it is the first transportation-related project “and one of only 10 local or regional transportation projects statewide to earn the designation.” As found by California’s Governor in certifying BIG under that statute, BIG “represents $4 billion private investment in California, will help reduce congestion in Port-adjacent communities, improves supply chain reliability, and support the transition to a zero-emission freight system.”

For certified projects, any CEQA litigation challenging the environmental impact report or project approvals, including appeals, must be resolved within 270 days, providing critical scheduling certainty for a project of this scale and complexity.

“The Barstow International Gateway represents a fundamental shift in California freight infrastructure: moving goods from port-dependent congestion to a rail-centered, inland logistics model. For BNSF, SB 149 certification brings meaningful schedule certainty to one of the most consequential freight infrastructure projects in the state.”

— Amrit Kulkarni, Principal & Chair, Land Use, Environmental Law, and Transportation & Infrastructure Practice Group, Meyers Nave

The Meyers Nave team is led by Amrit Kulkarni and supported by multiple attorneys across the firm’s Land Use, Environmental, and Litigation practice groups.

The BIG project is designed to streamline goods movement between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and destinations across the United States. Containers will move directly from ships to trains via the Alameda Corridor and along the BNSF mainline to Barstow, where freight will be processed using zero-emission cargo-handling equipment and routed across BNSF’s national rail network. The project is projected to eliminate approximately 205 million truck miles traveled in 2028, growing to 312 million truck miles by 2048 — reducing highway congestion and improving air quality across Southern California. Because of BIG’s innovative design, BIG will result in a net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, one of the requirements for obtaining certification under SB 149.

The economic impact will be transformative, including approximately 62,000 construction-related jobs and 15,000 long-term operational jobs. Within the City of Barstow, BIG is expected to produce approximately 5,400 new direct jobs, $938 million in total earnings, and $2.9 billion in total economic output over its first 20 years of operation.

Learn more:

Read the full BNSF Press Release

Read the full Meyers Nave Press Release