The Government of Canada will invest up to C$254 million in the Saint John Trade Corridor project.
The funding will come through the Trade Diversification Corridors Fund. The project aims to expand trade capacity and improve cargo flows through Port Saint John.
Several public and private partners will support the development. They include the Government of New Brunswick, Port Saint John and New Brunswick Southern Railway.
The project could raise the port’s annual capacity to between 850,000 and one million TEUs.
The programme will expand and upgrade warehouses at the port. This work will support higher-value cargo and reduce dwell times.
A new Canada Border Services Agency container examination facility will also be established. Newly recruited border officers will help staff the facility.
In addition, the partners will dredge key areas and rehabilitate marine infrastructure. These works will increase high-water tidal windows by at least 30% for fully loaded vessels with deeper draughts.
As a result, larger ships will gain better access to the port. The improvements should also reduce tide-related delays and support safer vessel movements.
The project also includes upgrades to 103 kilometres of New Brunswick Southern Railway track. Workers will install continuously welded rail along the corridor.
The upgrade will increase the mainline speed to 64 kilometres per hour. It will also reduce transit times between Port Saint John and Class I railway networks.
Meanwhile, shoreline stabilisation work will protect the Bayshore Rail Terminal. This terminal provides the port’s only rail access.
The partners will also reconstruct Simms Corner. The new layout will separate rail and road traffic, improving safety and reducing delays.
“By modernizing our transportation system, we are helping move goods more quickly, strengthening supply chains, attracting investment, and reinforcing Canada’s position as a reliable trading partner,” said Steven MacKinnon, Canada’s Minister of Transport.
The new investment follows more than C$76 million in previous federal funding through the National Trade Corridors Fund. Canada expects the combined improvements to attract new shipping services and create more routing options for shippers.
