WINDSOR, Ontario — The Essex Terminal Railway will receive up to C$12.5 million for construction of a new warehouse and expansion of the shore wall at the Port of Windsor, Canada’s transport minister announced Friday.
The funding announced by Minister Omar Alghabra, from the National Trade Corridors Fund, is intended to help shift cargo traffic from trucks to trains and ships, reducing pollution and congestion on the Highway 401 corridor. Expansion of the shore wall, to prevent erosion and flooding, will also create the possibility of building a new cargo dock at a later date.
Tony De Thomasis, CEO of the Essex Terminal Railway and the Morterm Ltd., which operates a marine terminal at the port, said in a press release that the funds will ensure the port “is well equipped and in a more desirable position to access new export markets. Further investment in our region will bring us even closer to bringing to fruition the multi-modal hub that this area needs — one that supports supply chains, reduces Port congestion, creates new jobs, and encourages economic development in sustainable and innovative ways.”
Steve Salmons, Windsor Port Authority CEO, called the funding “transformational for our region,” saying short-sea container shipping from Port Windsor will address supply-chain issues, reduce greenhouse gases, and “increase access to world markets for industry in Windsor and Essex County.”
The Essex Terminal Railway operates 54 kilometers (33.6 miles) of track in the Windsor-Detroit area, offering direct connections to Canadian National, CPKC, and CSX Transportation.
As far as I know, the CSX line between Sarnia and Chatham is out of service and severed in some locations. ETR would hardly be able to interchange with CSX directly.
The last sentence may be a bit misleading for people unfamiliar with Detroit and Windsor. Unless something has changed recently, all track is in Canada. Although the big ugly building in the photo is in USA.
Essex Terminal serves the salt mines and was briefly known as Morton Terminal after the salt company.