Jeff Watson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, along with West Coast Reduction Ltd. President and CEO Barry Glotman, have marked completion of work to expand the rail unloading capacity of the West Coast Reduction facility at Port Metro Vancouver.
The project will improve transportation of agricultural products, particularly canola oil, being exported from Western Canada to Asia-Pacific markets.
The rail upgrades will increase the number of railcars that can be unloaded simultaneously, from 16 to 24. This will allow West Coast Reduction Ltd. to increase its canola handling capacity by an estimated 50 per cent, which represents an estimated additional $270 million in canola oil exported to Asia-Pacifi c markets. The project also involves upgrading the piping infrastructure to handle additional capacity.
Quick Facts
Phases 1 and 2 of the Rail Unloading Improvement Project involve upgrades to the rail lines and to the piping system between the rail lines and pump house. These are now complete. Phase 3, which involves upgrades to the piping system between the pump house and the marine vessel berths, will begin shortly. Construction is scheduled to be fully completed by March 2015.
The total cost of the Rail Unloading Improvement project is approximately $11 million, with the Government of Canada contributing up to $2.8 million under the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Transportation Infrastructure Fund (APGCTIF), which is part of the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative (APGCI) and focuses on infrastructure projects. The balance of the project funding will be provided by West Coast Reduction Ltd.
The APGCI aims to make Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway the best transportation network facilitating global supply chains between North America and Asia.
To date, our Government has invested approximately $1.4 billion in APGCI infrastructure projects, in partnership with all four western provinces, municipalities and the private sector, for a total project value of approximately $3.5 billion.
The Rail Unloading Improvement project will result in improved intermodal efficiency, economic development and enhanced trade.