New overpass to increase rail capacity for Port of Vancouver terminals

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says a new four-lane overpass crossing the rail lines at Holdom Avenue in Burnaby will increase rail capacity for Port of Vancouver terminals, supporting the reliable movement of goods through the region.

Construction the overpass crossing the rail lines at Holdom Avenue in Burnaby will begin later this year. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is delivering the Holdom Overpass project in partnership with the City of Burnaby, CN and the Government of Canada.

“We are pleased to partner with the City of Burnaby, CN, and the Government of Canada to begin construction on the Holdom Overpass in Burnaby,” said Peter Xotta, president and CEO, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “The new overpass will create critical capacity and resiliency in the gateway, ensuring that we can enable Canada’s trade more reliably and efficiently, while also delivering tremendous benefits to the local community in Burnaby.”

The overpass will extend Holdom Avenue south over the rail corridor and Still Creek, connecting it with Douglas Road.

The rail corridor through Burnaby is the only rail connection to transport goods and commodities to and from port terminals located in North Vancouver, a vital link in the national supply chain that connects Canadian products like grain and fertilizer to global markets. The rail corridor moves more than 40 million metric tonnes of export cargo, accounting for more than 40 per cent of the port’s total international exports in 2023.

Canada’s trade through the region is growing, and the project is designed to mitigate the impacts of trade on those who live, work and commute in Burnaby. It will provide significant community benefits, including improved safety and traffic flows, reduced greenhouse gas emissions from less idling traffic at the existing crossing, better community access by creating more reliable travel times and better emergency response options.

The project will add to the rail improvements completed by CN in 2022, which included updates to the Thornton Tunnel to reduce the time between trains travelling through the tunnel and a new rail siding track running from Willingdon Avenue to Piper Avenue.

The port authority has previously completed two phases of public engagement and continuous First Nations consultation, and input from these efforts has helped shape the overpass design. Public space surrounding the overpass will include First Nations cultural recognition, public art and improved landscaping in the Still Creek and Beecher Creek areas.

The road enhancements are part of the Burnaby Rail Corridor Improvements Project, a series of road and rail improvements to increase transportation efficiency and trade capacity through Port of Vancouver terminals on the North Shore. The Burnaby Rail Corridor Improvements Project is funded by the Government of Canada, through its National Trade Corridors Fund, the port authority and CN.