As part of its investments to improve transportation infrastructure and the efficiency of the country’s trade corridors, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $20 million to increase rail capacity near Abbotsford resulting in a significant increase in overseas trade to and from terminals in the Port of Vancouver.
The project will twin approximately 5.6 km of Canadian National Railway tracks eliminating the last section of single track within the 40-kilometre Canadian National rail corridor leading to the Port of Vancouver.
As such, the project is expected to address bottlenecks along the rail corridor, and increase capacity to accommodate growth in train traffic to and from the expanding import and export terminals at Burrard Inlet and Roberts Bank.
The work consists of engineering design; grading; the construction of track, bridge and retaining walls; as well as upgrading the signaling system.
In parallel, these investments are expected to have important employment benefits for the region by creating an estimated 400 jobs in the region during construction.
The investment is part of the government’s National Trade Corridors Fund. Through the fund, Canada is making investments that will support the flow of goods to international markets.
In July, the Government of Canada announced a major investment of $102 million for five projects aimed to increase efficiency at the Port of Vancouver and move Canadian goods to international markets.
Our government is investing in Canada’s economy by making improvements to our trade and transportation corridors. We are supporting projects to efficiently move goods to market and people to their destinations, stimulate economic growth, create quality middle-class jobs, and ensure that Canada’s transportation networks remain competitive and efficient,
…said Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport.
While the US continues to be Canada’s top trade partner with $741.4 billion in trade ($437.6 billion exported, $303.8 billion imported) in 2018, trade is growing with international markets.
From 2015 to 2018, trade with Asia (excluding the Middle East) grew by 18.9% to $199.2 billion and trade with the EU grew by 19% since 2015 to $118.1 billion in 2018.
