Federal Government to Invest $5 Million in Alberta Midland Railways

Minister of Transport Marc Garneau responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

The federal government will invest $5 million to improve the efficiency of rail logistics in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland.

Marc Garneau, the Minister of Transport, announced the investment plan on Dec. 29. The funds will be injected into Alberta’s midland infrastructures to increase capacity for building trains and storage for both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific rail networks. These measures will improve the fluidity of trade corridors and gateways and reduce bottlenecks along Western Canadian rail networks.

“Our government is investing in Canada’s economy by making improvements to our trade and transportation corridors. We are supporting projects which help move goods efficiently to market, and people to their destinations; stimulate our economy during the pandemic; create good quality middle-class jobs; and ensure Canada’s transportation networks remain competitive and efficient,” Garneau said in a statement.

The project is part of the National Trade Corridors Fund, a $2.3 billion merit-based infrastructure program that the Canadian government designed to improve and modernize infrastructures that support the flow of goods to international markets.

The latest funding will create 460 railcar storage spots and over 40,000 feet of new track, part of which will connect to the Canadian Pacific Willingdon Subdivision. It will also allow Alberta Midland Railway Terminal to handle unit trains up to 8,500 feet in length for either Canadian National or Canadian Pacific shippers.

This investment can generate an estimated 210 jobs during the construction period.

In February 2020, Garneau had announced an investment of $15 million to improve the transportation logistics in the Western Canadian rail network. The project aimed to construct a new 1,930 car rail storage yard in Sturgeon County, northeast of Edmonton.