20 December 2004
The Government of Canada
and Canadian Pacific Railway make Joint Investment to Increase Security at North
America's Busiest Trade Gateway
Rail cargo security at
Canada's busiest border crossing will be further increased thanks to investments by the Government
of Canada and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The Honourable John Godfrey, Minister of State
(Infrastructure and Communities), the Honourable Jean C. Lapierre, Minister of Transport, and Rob
Ritchie, President and Chief Executive Officer of CPR, today announced a joint investment of over
$8 million to secure a 7.5-km CPR rail corridor from Walker Road in Windsor to the U.S.
border. This will be accomplished by protecting that length of track and preparing the site for the
installation, by the U.S. government, of a Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS). This is a
state-of-the-art security system designed for rail cargo inspection.
The VACIS system will be used to scan contents of freight cars and containers as trains roll by
slowly.
"The Windsor Gateway is the busiest international trade corridor in North America and Canada's
single largest border crossing point for trade and traffic with the United States. The Government of
Canada remains committed to a safe and secure border, and projects like this one contribute to this
objective," stated Minister Godfrey. "We continue to work with our colleagues in the U.S.
and our partners here in Canada to deliver improved security measures through investments in border
infrastructure."
"Securing our border in Windsor is essential to the continued movement of goods to the United
States," said Minister Lapierre. "The security of this rail corridor in Windsor and
application of this technology are essential and will continue to improve our good relations with our
biggest trading partner to the south."
"Trans-border movement of goods remains a critically important and growing aspect
of the Canadian economy," Mr. Ritchie said. "This is also true regarding CPR's
cross-border service. No border location is more critical to trade than the
Windsor-Detroit crossing, which includes the Detroit River rail tunnel. Our funding
partnership will ensure that this essential rail traffic remains safe and secure, while maintaining
fluid trade flow, with fewer interruptions and shorter delays. This is a good thing for
U.S.-Canada trade relations, as well as the freight industry as a whole."
The Windsor location is unique and distinct from other rail crossings with a requirement for
tailored solutions. The location of the CPR line, which runs under the Detroit River through a
tunnel, makes it impractical to install the VACIS facility at the precise border point on either
side of the river. Because of the distance of the VACIS facility from the border and the
particularities of this rail border crossing, extensive security measures are required. The
Government of Canada and CPR have each committed up to $4.12 million to secure the 7.5-km
rail corridor leading to the border and to prepare the site on the rail right of way, east of Walker
Road, in Windsor, for the installation of the VACIS system.
Infrastructure investments will include the installation of state-of-the-art surveillance
technology stretching from the Walker Road site to the portal of the Detroit River rail tunnel and
fencing to secure the site. It will also include track reconfigurations, and signal and
communications modifications. These improvements will create a secure zone through which scanned
trains can proceed into the United States.
The VACIS system is an effective, safe and flexible means of detection. It scans the contents of
freight cars as trains roll by at no more than 7 to 10 km per hour, causing minimal disruption to the
flow of goods at border crossing inspection stations. A one-mile long train can be
scanned in about 10 minutes.
VACIS technology is already in use at other Canada-U.S. border crossings on CPR rail
lines. CPR has absorbed the entire cost of associated necessary investments at Rouses Point, New
York; Noyes, Minnesota; and Portal, North Dakota. These investments include new rail sidings, siding
extensions and buildings to house operations and security equipment.
The federal government's contribution to this project comes from the Border Infrastructure Fund
(BIF), which is helping improve some of the busiest Canada-United States border crossings
so vital for the economic growth and prosperity of the country. The $600 million BIF supports the
initiatives in the Smart Borders Action Plan by reducing border congestion, increasing safety and
security, and expanding infrastructure capacity over the medium term.
All projects are subject to federal requirements under the Canadian Environmental Assessment
Act.
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