Opening October 1, 2007

By Arthur Williams
Free Press

Jun 27 2007

CN Rail is on track to open its $20 million intermodal container facility in Prince George on Oct. 1, according to mountain division manger Tom Bourgonje.

The opening matches the opening date of the Fairview Container Terminal in Prince Rupert.

"We see this as a huge opportunity for Northern B.C. in terms of turning this into a major transportation corridor," he said. "This is basically the start of what we see for Prince George."

Bourgonje heads CN's operations between Prince Rupert and Edmonton.

The facility will feature two 2,400-foot-long loading pad tracks. Loaded cars will be placed along one of the tracks, ready to be picked up by trains heading west to the Fairview Container Terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert.

The current configuration will allow workers to load 60-70 containers a day, he said. If there is increased demand as the Port of Prince Rupert expands its container facilities, there will be room to expand.

"We can probably go three to four times longer," Bourgonje explained.

Boxcars of pulp and lumber cars stacked with wood will enter the yard from the east, where the products will be transferred into containers for shipping. In addition, the facility has 17 truck bays to receive goods.

"The old car shop is being converted into office space and the transload facility," Bourgonje said.

Eastbound trains will drive right through the facility, heading for destinations as far away as Chicago.

Westbound trains will only stop long enough to pick up cars heading to Prince Rupert, refuel and change crews if need be, Bourgonje said.

"We've planned three hours max. from the time it enters the yard to the time it leaves. [But] we could do it faster than that," he said.

CN Rail has purchased 50 new locomotives and 1,100 platform cars to use on the route, which will start with one train going each way every day.

Nine tunnels and several overpasses are being modified to handle platform cars carrying two containers stacked one on top of the other.

"We're doing everything necessary to have 12,000-foot, double-stacked trains on this route," he said.

On July 9, CN Rail is hosting a job fair at the Civic Centre from noon to 8 p.m. to attract workers for the facility.

"There is about 60 of what I call hard jobs. That will grow as the traffic grows. For each train you put on, it adds about a dozen people," Bourgonje said. "There is also quite a few spin-off jobs. We are looking for people from all crafts."

Potential spin-off jobs include repairing and maintaining the containers, he added.

The site features 84,000 sq. feet of warehouse space and 10 acres of outdoor storage. It will load lumber, panels, wood pulp, paper, wood pellets and various palleted or bagged goods.