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Terminal operator Global Container Terminals Inc. (GCT) Canada has announced that it has broken ground on its Deltaport Intermodal Yard Reconfiguration project, the second phase of the Deltaport Terminal Road and Rail Improvement Project (DTRRIP).
DTRRIP’s phase two, for which construction is taking place between 2015 and 2017, includes rail track changes and additional container handling equipment within the existing terminal’s footprint.
The densification project will enhance the terminal’s ability to handle increased volumes from the largest transpacific mega vessels calling the facility, the rail handling capacity of which is expected to increase by more than 50%.
According to the terminal operator, this project will ensure projected carrier rail demand will be met for the Canadian and US markets without impacting on local road traffic.
Stephen Edwards, president and CEO of GCT, said: “This expansion provides our customers the confidence to bring their largest ship discharges to GCT Deltaport with the knowledge that the added rail capacity will expedite import container connections through CN (Canadian National Railway) and CP (Canadian Pacific Railway)’s networks.”
“We are particularly pleased to not only increase our capacity, but that we are doing so with an improved environmental impact on our existing footprint,” he added.
The DTRRIP, which will be carried out in four phases, is expected to increase container capacity by improving existing infrastructure and enhancing the terminal’s operational efficiency of rail operations.
The first phase, which was completed between 2013 and 2014, included an overpass on the existing causeway of Roberts Bank in Port Metro Vancouver, where the terminal is located, to separate road and rail traffic.
The third phase of the plan will include road improvements on Deltaport Way to enhance container trucks’ movement at Deltaport. The last phase will instead include an additional rail track within the existing railway corridor and a portion of the Option Lands, a strip of land from Arthur Drive west to the neck of the Roberts Bank causeway.