Canada sets sights on enhancing Port of Vancouver

The government is investing C$167 million in road and rail infrastructure projects to improve efficiency.

   Canada’s Minister of Transport Marc Garneau on Friday announced a C$167 million (U.S. $125.8 million) investment for road and rail infrastructure projects that will improve efficiency in and around the Port of Vancouver.
   One of the projects, led by CN, with investment from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, involves designing and building a 4.2-kilometer-long secondary track, parallel to the existing Burrard Inlet line, in the city of Vancouver. “The increased rail capacity will support the flow of goods through the south shore port area as trade volumes continue to grow,” Transport Canada said.
   The other projects, led by Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, with investment from CN and CP, are:
     • Improving the existing Thornton Rail Tunnel ventilation system, allowing trains to pass through the tunnel more frequently;
     • Improving the rail corridor by building 5.5 kilometers of track adjacent to the existing double-tracked corridor;
     • Designing and raising Douglas Road so it crosses over the existing CN l corridor;
     • Building the Centennial Road overpass, a 600 meter-long, two-lane elevated viaduct structure;
     • Extending the existing two-lane Waterfront Road by 600 meters;
     • Realigning 350 meters of Commissioner Street;
     • And building 9.4 kilometers of new siding track and reconfiguring train switching operations within the CP corridor, along the south shore of Burrard Inlet in the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby.
   The C$167 million in funding, as well as the C$55.8 million announced last month for four other infrastructure projects in the region, are from Transport Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund.
   The Port of Vancouver plays a critical link to Asia, most notably with China, South Korea and Japan, Transport Canada said, adding that the United States also is among its principal trading links. BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool shows the port is called by 20 liner services connecting it to regions outside North America, 16 of which sail to Asia. Of these 20 loops, 17 are container services, two are open hatch services and one deploys pure car/truck carriers.