The Government of Canada has announced a $9.2 million investment for a project at Ashcroft Terminal in British Columbia that will help local businesses compete by moving local goods to market and by making improvements to terminal infrastructure.
“Transportation and distribution of goods are a vital part of our local, regional and national economies,” said Jati Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon. “The investment announced here today will make our transportation system stronger by addressing urgent capacity constraints at the Port of Vancouver and fostering long-term prosperity for our community.”
This project is broken into several areas. In one area, a new rail link will be built from Ashcroft Terminal to Canadian National Railway’s main rail line. This expansion will provide producers and shippers additional options at Ashcroft Terminal to improve efficiency in shipping their goods to market.
In another area, extra rail track will be built to allow rail cars to be parked and assembled into longer trains to serve Canadian producers and shippers. The additional track infrastructure will support the movement and storage of rail cars to enhance fluidity through Canada’s Pacific Gateway Corridor.
An internal road network will be built that includes a two-way road under the rail line. This grade separation will ensure that rail and truck operations do not interfere with each other thereby increasing safety. This grade separation will also increase the operational efficiency of Ashcroft Terminal. The construction of a multi-commodity and storage warehouse will support natural resource producers, allowing them improved access to domestic and international markets.
Other works will include increasing electrical capacity, installing water treatment infrastructure, and installing lighting and security enhancements to provide safe and secure operations.