Port of Oshawa has boosted its links with the North American rail network with the opening this year of a new $4.1 million rail spur. “The rail spur is a crucial link that will help us meet the growing demands of businesses,” said Donna Taylor, President and CEO of Oshawa Port Authority. “Oshawa’s national deep-sea port is now truly intermodal, and able to move cargo of all sizes year round. That’s a huge advantage.”
Within days of the official opening of the spur, the Port began to receive expressions of interest from companies ranging from steel to the energy sector,” she added. The first shipment over the track was a load of steel rebar with an ultimate destination of Saskatchewan.
“Businesses have been quick to recognize the clear advantages of an intermodal port with rail, road and water access to move cargo.” The rail spur allows the port to handle more cargo and break into the niche project cargo market. The track includes an oversized dimensional move section to accommodate project cargo that’s too big to travel by highway.
“The rail spur really is a major achievement in the vision we had for the port almost a decade ago,” said Gary Valcour, Chair of the Port Authority. “It’s an investment in the future that keeps the port moving with the times and delivering significant economic benefits for our city, region and all of Canada.”
Since the first official Port of Oshawa Land Use Plan was crafted in 1984, it included among its goals the building of a track to link the East Wharf to an existing CN branch, north of the port lands. Oshawa Port Authority, with funding support from McAsphalt, constructed 500 metres of new track that connects the company and the Port’s East Wharf to the CN line. In addition to asphalt, the line should see more shipments of steel and other bulk commodities. The branch links into CN’s 34,000 kilometres of track in North America and its connections with other railways in Canada and the United States.