Satellite image of Canadian Pacific's Regina Yard.

22 August 2011

CP Embarks on Yard Relocation Project

Regina Saskatchewan - Canadian Pacific started construction this summer on a project to relocate its railway freight yards from downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, to the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) just outside the city.
 
"This is an important project for Canadian Pacific as the new state-of-the-art intermodal facility will further strengthen our company's ability to meet the growing shipping needs of our customers," said Canadian Pacific spokesperson Mike LoVecchio.
 
"In addition, our new Intermodal Facility will also create tremendous capacity for further economic development in the region and competitive access to key North American and world markets."
 
The new facility will be located on a 124-hectare (about 300 acres) site adjacent to CP's main line between Regina and Moose Jaw.
 
"The new facility will have the necessary tracks to load and unload intermodal trains, office, maintenance buildings, parking, roadways, as well as the necessary storage areas for things like containers," said LoVecchio.
 
"Needless to say there is a lot of room to grow."
 
Construction of the new facility, located five kilometres west of Regina, began on 10 Jun 2011, but specifics about the initial start-up continue to be finalized.
 
The new terminal will have up to 20 tracks for operations, if required.
 
The current downtown terminal has a total of five tracks, but with no room to expand.
 
The new terminal will be able to handle 250,000 containers per year, compared to 45,000 currently, increasing the flow of goods across the country and internationally.
 
"The biggest challenge is ensuring proper design and construction of the pad where the container top lifters will operate," said LoVecchio.
 
"Heavy axle loads, combined with inherently expansive soils in the Regina area, mean additional planning, pre-loading and care must be taken so that the site can operate properly from day one."
 
The main contractor on the $50 million project is Hoban Equipment Limited.
 
About 100 construction workers will be employed on the project,
 
Other new construction at the transportation hub includes a one-million square foot distribution centre operated by Canadian Logistics Services (CLS) to serve the Loblaw's group of stores.
 
The first phase of the CLS Distribution Centre saw the construction of 423,000 square feet of space. It was completed in December 2010.
 
It opened for business in February and currently employs 176 people.
 
The two phases of the project involve the construction of 965,000 square feet.
 
Last month, Yanke Group of Companies became the third major tenant at the GTH, when the Saskatoon-based trucking company announced it would be investing more than $20 million to build a new facility.
 
The project involves the construction of an intermodal and trucking terminal, container yard, refrigerated warehouse, and related facilities on a 40-acre site at the west of the city.
 
In order to accommodate the additional traffic, the provincial Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure is spending in excess of $100 million on projects.
 
This includes the West Regina Bypass on the Trans-Canada Highway, the Lewvan interchange, and new highways connecting the Trans-Canada Highway with Highway 11.
 
Richard Gilbert.