Freight Transportation to go green in Quebec, B.C.

Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre, has announced $1,147,500 in funding for three new projects to help the freight transportation sector reduce the growth of greenhouse gas emissions in the province of Quebec. He also announced $370,000 in funding for a new project in the province of British Columbia. The funding comes from Transport Canada’s Freight Incentives Program.

In Quebec, the three winning projects were proposed by Canadian National Railway, the Socit des Chemins de Fer du Qubec inc., and La Compagnie minire Qubec Cartier.

In British Columbia, IDC Distribution Services Ltd. of Vancouver B.C. will use the funds to purchase a Railpower Hybrid Switching Locomotive – Green Kid. The Green Kid locomotive will be used as a switching locomotive to transfer railcars between the common user storage tracks owned by the Fraser River Port Authority and the ramp tracks located on the facility. It is estimated that the use of a Green Kid will reduce fuel consumption by as much as 57 per cent compared with a traditional locomotive.

The Freight Incentives Program is a four-year, $5-million program designed to encourage the adoption and use of technology and equipment that reduce greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively in the rail, marine and air freight transportation sectors. To achieve this goal, the program provides funding to enable eligible applicants to purchase and install efficiency-enhancing technologies. The Freight Incentives Program began accepting its first round of proposals in May 2004.

The program is part of $32.3 million allocated for the Commercial Transportation Energy Efficiency and Fuels Initiative announced on August 12, 2003. This initiative falls under the Climate Change Plan for Canada.
Funding for these projects was provided for in the February 2003 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing financial framework.