Minister of Transport announces funding to improve intermodal connectivity in the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region

ROSSER, MB, March 15, 2023 /CNW/ - An efficient and reliable transportation system is essential to making life more affordable for Canadians and combatting the rising cost of living. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring our supply chains grow the economy and create good, middle-class jobs for Canadians, while ensuring they are resilient and adaptive to the impacts of climate change.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced an investment of up to $18 million, under the National Trade Corridors Fund, for a project that will strengthen intermodal connectivity in Winnipeg. The project will be undertaken by CentrePort Canada.

This project aims to build a rail park at CentrePort Canada, located just outside Winnipeg. This funding will go toward:

• a second mainline switch;
• several kilometres of additional track;
• a lift station;
• and connections to access roads.

The rail park will improve the movement of goods between different modes of transportation, for instance, from rail to truck, or from air to rail. This will reduce truck journeys and transloading, addressing congestion on interprovincial highways and thereby reducing pollution.

The Government of Canada continues to make investments to strengthen the country's supply chain, promote economic growth and enhance the opportunities for our businesses to expand into global markets. This represents another long-term commitment to work with stakeholders on strategic infrastructure projects to address transportation bottlenecks, vulnerabilities, and congestion along Canada's trade corridors.

Quotes

"The development of the rail park at CentrePort Canada will reduce congestion and enhance the flow of goods across the country, resulting in significant economic benefits for the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region and for Manitoba. With support from various supply chain partners, this investment will generate revenue and create good, middle-class jobs for Canadians."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra 
Minister of Transport 

"This Government of Canada investment for our 665-acre CentrePort Canada Rail Park in Rosser, Manitoba, within the Winnipeg Metro Region, is a major benefit to the development of the Rail Park. Located adjacent to the Richardson International Airport, central to Canada, the United States, down to Mexico and up to Churchill, and strategic to the provincial, Canadian, and US supply chains, the Rail Park capitalizes on the Canadian Pacific Railway / Kansas City Southern merger. The federal government's investment will enhance the interconnectivity across North America improving supply chain efficiencies."

Kenneth W. Mariash Senior, Developer and Owner
Focus Equities Inc.

"CentrePort thanks the Government of Canada for their continued support of the inland port project and welcomes this significant federal commitment to ensuring the growth of the provincial, regional and global trade profile which CentrePort supports. This investment in the CentrePort Canada Rail Park development enhances intermodal connectivity in the Winnipeg capital region and helps to fully realize the vision for the largest trimodal inland port in the heart of North America."

Chris Lorenc, Director
CentrePort Canada Inc. Board of Directors

Quick Facts  

• The Government of Canada, through the National Trade Corridors Fund, is making investments that will support the flow of goods across Canada's supply chains.
• The National Trade Corridors Fund is a competitive, merit-based program designed to help infrastructure owners and users invest in the critical transportation assets that support economic activity in Canada. A total of $4.7 billion over 11 years (2017-2028) has been allocated to the program.
• Through the National Trade Corridors Fund, Transport Canada is supporting improvements to Canada's roads, rail, air, and marine shipping routes to foster domestic and international trade.
• The National Trade Corridors Fund's Increasing the Fluidity of Canada's Supply Chains call for proposals supports fluid and reliable trade flows between Canada and global markets, as well as internal trade corridors.

Related Product 

National Trade Corridors Fund Backgrounder 

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SOURCE Transport Canada

Nadine Ramadan, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, Ottawa, [email protected]; Media Relations, Transport Canada, Ottawa, 613-993-0055, [email protected]