CN terminal consolidation plan to boost Montreal intermodal capacity

Canadian National will build a new, state-of-the-art intermodal terminal at its Taschereau Yard in the municipalities of Saint-Laurent and Lachine, Quebec as part of a $47-million terminal consolidation plan.

The new Montreal terminal is one of three major intermodal terminal projects underway at CN. The railroad recently announced a $40-million new intermodal facility in Milton, Ont., west of Toronto, and this fall will open a new $23-million intermodal terminal in Edmonton.

The consolidation, scheduled for completion by year-end 2001, will permit CN to accommodate 30 per cent more intermodal traffic at its Montreal hub, and will also free up prime CN real estate for redevelopment. The consolidation will release 210 acres of real estate for redevelopment at Turcot, which is adjacent to and readily accessible to major highways.

Intermodal traffic is CN’s fastest-growing business segment, with intermodal volumes rising by 13 per cent to more than 1.1 million units last year.

Under the terminal consolidation plan, CN’s Montreal intermodal operations will move from Turcot Yard near the city’s inner core to Taschereau Yard, the railroad’s major switching yard for carload freight in the Montreal region. Work on the new intermodal facility will start this month. Taschereau, some ten kilometers west of Montreal’s downtown, is also located near major highways.

“The terminal consolidation will generate significant benefits for customers, for CN and for the City of Montreal.

CN’s intermodal partners – trucking companies and shippers – will enjoy faster entry and exit from the new terminal at Taschereau Yard. The intermodal terminal will have a high-technology automatic gate system that will significantly reduce truckers’ waiting times for pick ups and deliveries,” said Paul M. Tellier, CN’s president and chief executive officer.

Tellier said the intermodal business is a key driver of CN’s plan to increase market share and grow revenue.

Tellier added that Montreal only stands to gain from the project. “The consolidation will be a catalyst for new development at Turcot and, with additional capacity, the new terminal has potential for reducing truck traffic on congested highways,” he said.