Ottawa commits up to $254 million to the Saint John trade corridor
The federal government will put up to $254 million into port, rail and road projects in the Saint John, N.B., trade corridor. The money comes from the Trade Diversification Corridors Fund.
Transport Canada announced the funding on Oct. 21. The goal is to raise the corridor's capacity to between 850,000 and 1 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) a year.
Who gets the money
The funding goes to four partners: the New Brunswick Regional Development Corporation, the Saint John Port Authority, New Brunswick Southern Railway, and the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
What will be built
At the port, the work includes:
- a warehouse expansion
- a new Canada Border Services Agency container examination facility
- dredging that will add at least 30 per cent more high-water tidal windows for ships
- stabilizing the shoreline at the Bayshore Rail Terminal
On the rail side, 103 km of New Brunswick Southern Railway track will be upgraded with continuously welded rail. That will raise the top mainline speed to 64 km/h.
For road traffic, the Simms Corner area will be rebuilt to separate rail and road traffic.
Earlier funding
The new money builds on more than $76 million already committed to the corridor through the National Trade Corridors Fund.