Consolidated Fastfrate plans sprawing new distribution centre in Calgary

CALGARY (Aug. 3, 2001) — Consolidated Fastfrate, Canada’s largest privately-owned freight forwarder, announced plans to build a sprawling warehousing and freight distribution centre in Calgary adjacent to Canadian Pacific Railway’s intermodal yard.

Construction will begin in September, the company said, with completion of the first phase in March 2002. It will include 10,000 square feet of office space, 60,000 square feet of warehousing and 45,000 square feet dedicated to crossdocking with CP Rail. A second phase will be constructed in the fall of 2002, adding 73,000 square feet of warehousing and 26,000 square feet for crossdocking.

CFF president Ron Tepper said the facility’s blueprint is designed to smooth the flow of freight between the trucks and rails. The forwarder operates terminals beside or within five of CP Rail’s 22 intermodal terminals, including a 250,000-square-foot crossdock terminal at CPR’s Vaughan intermodal facility near Toronto.

The railroad has similar arrangements with retailers Sears Canada and Canadian Tire, both of which have constructed new distribution centres within the CP Rail intermodal complexes.