Transport Canada says engineering work is done for Lac-Mégantic bypass, on target for 2023 completion
Transport Canada reports additional engineering work has been completed on the Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, bypass project and that the project still should be done by 2023. The engineering work will allow relocation of rail operations to the Lac-Mégantic business park, as desired by residents and mayors of Lac-Mégantic and neighboring communities. The Canadian government and Canadian Pacific will soon begin preparing plans and negotiating with property owners to obtain the lands involved in the project. “From the start, our government has been committed to completing this project while maintaining open communication with the people of Lac-Mégantic, Frontenac, Nantes and the neighbouring communities,” Omar Alghabra, Canada’s transport minister, said in a press release. “We are working hard to move this project forward within the established time frames. People can count on my support.” The bypass project was announced in May 2018 and will move the rail line out of Lac-Mégantic, which was devastated by the derailment and fire that killed 47 people in 2013 [see “CP purchase of CM&Q will have little impact on Lac-Mégantic bypass,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 5, 2019]. The estimated $133 million project is being funded 60% by the Canadian government and 40% by the Quebec government. More information is available here.
Canadian government to provide more than $12 billion for Toronto-area transit projects
The Canadian government will provide more than C$12 billion in funding for five transit projects in the Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, areas, the Globe and Mail reports. The federal funding will provide 40% of the cost for four Toronto-area projects, including the Ontario Line subway, extensions of two other subway routes, and the Eglinton Crosstown light rail line. Federal INfrastrucutre and Communities Minister Catherine McKenna said it would be the largest expenditure of its kind in Canadian history. Details of the federal involvement in the Hamilton light rail project, which was cancelled by the provincial government in 2019 but later revived, are expected later this week.
Washington state approves funding for Chehalis grain facility
The Washington state legislature has approved funding for a new rail-served grain storage facility at the Port of Chehalis, Wash., Southwest Washington Grain Project in the Chehalis Industrial Park. In a Facebook post, the port says the grain facility handled more than 1,400 metric tons of grain in 2020, its first year of operation, and expects to handle more than 2,000 metric tons this year. The new facility will address the limited grain storage at the site, allowing farmers to extend their growing seasons and sales opportunities.
If I am doing my math right, 1,400 Metric Tons works out to be less than 15 hoppers of grain. Maybe I am missing something, but that doesn’t seem like much of a facility.
Peter, for now the “facility” is only a spur, about 500 feet long, with a gravel pad for transloading. The plan is that by adding storage, more growers will be able to ship out of the site. Right now they basically have to be ready to go when the cars show up. The main customer is also a cooperative of growers, some of whom have fairly small operations. Also worth mentioning the main destination is down in Vancouver, WA, but can only accept rail shipments. Hence the siding instead of trucks.