The Allen Group Announces Groundbreaking for New Rail Project

BNSF Railway to provide rail service to the International Trade and Transportation Center

SHAFTER, Calif. (December 14, 2005) — The Allen Group, a major developer of industrial and office properties in California, along with the City of Shafter, held a groundbreaking ceremony today for new rail service for the International Trade and Transportation Center (ITTC) in Shafter.

This new rail service, provided by the BNSF Railway and owned by the City of Shafter, will serve the ITTC as well as the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. The ITTC is a development of The Allen Group.

“As a result of the changing dynamics in the way goods are transported, the ITTC and other rail-served parks are becoming economic engines for the communities in which they are located,” said Luke Allen, Corporate Development Coordinator for The Allen Group. “This will drive growth in the economy of the Central Valley for years to come by increasing trade, distribution and, most importantly, jobs.”

The International Trade and Transportation Center is a 700-acre master-planned industrial park. The ITTC is home to Target Stores’ 1.7 million square foot regional distribution center and a 288,000 square foot spec building currently under construction. Thirty-five million consumers are within a four-hour drive of the property, which will feature rail service to and from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, for shippers and distributors serving the western United States.

Constructing the new rail line is Marta Track Constructors of Ethel, Wash.