A judge last week struck down the city’s approval of a $500 million BNSF rail yard near the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, saying officials failed to properly analyze the environmental effects the project would have on nearby residents and businesses, according to MyNewsLA.com.

The rail yard, which was approved by the Los Angeles City Council in 2013, was touted as a project needed to improve the flow of cargo in and out of the port to keep the complex competitive with other seaports around the country.

But environmental advocates, the city of Long Beach, community groups and other public agencies objected to the 153-acre Southern California Intermodal Gateway, complaining the approval of the project violated the state Environmental Quality Act, and saying the project would be too close to West Long Beach neighborhoods and several schools.

Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Barry P. Goode, who was assigned the case when it was transferred out of Los Angeles, issued a 200-page ruling Wednesday, agreeing that the city must conduct a more thorough environmental analysis of the project.

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