CN to boost intermodal capacity at major terminal

BRAMPTON, Ont. — Canadian National Railway will reportedly spend $12 million to increase container-handling capacity by 25 percent at its Brampton Intermodal Terminal (BIT) northwest of Toronto.

The improvements will go towards loading and unloading capacity for intermodal trains and improved truck throughput.

The project at the terminal — Canada’s largest — is expected to be completed by this summer.

“Intermodal is CN’s fastest growing business segment. Our investments in new terminal capacity at BIT will allow CN to capture more of this business and deliver better service to our customers through more timely availability of loads at the terminal,” said James Foote, CN executive vice-president of Sales and Marketing.

“This project reflects CN’s intense focus on asset utilization. We’re targeting capital on key capacity and process improvements that will allow us to take an existing asset and boost its capacity … That’s smart railroading.”

Meanwhile, CN reports BIT’s chassis pool for local delivery and pick up of containers has benefited from improved cycle times as a result of the installation last year of radio frequency identification tags on the 2,000-unit fleet.