Canada donates funds to Vancouver port's rail cargo project

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority will receive CA$250,000 in federal funds toward a project that will assess real-time information on the supply-chain performance of rail cargo moving to and from the Port of Vancouver, the Canadian government announced earlier this week.

The port authority launched the Supply Chain Visibility Project in 2015. The federal contribution will fund a part of the project that will measure performance of the grain and fertilizer sectors, as well as address data quality.

"We are very pleased with the federal government's contribution to our Supply Chain Visibility Project, which focuses on supporting the port authority's rail network planning and infrastructure development for trade through the Asia-Pacific Gateway," said Peter Xotta, the port authority's vice president, planning and operations, in a press release.

By analyzing rail-car activity data in the lower mainland, the project will contribute to three objectives of the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Transportation Infrastructure Fund: improve the national multimodal transportation network's efficiency; enhance transportation infrastructure safety, security and quality of life; and improve the connectivity of intermodal interfaces, port authority officials said.

"This project will provide access to information to support the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's rail network planning and infrastructure to further develop trade movement. This will contribute to higher volumes of trade with Asia for the economic benefit of all Canadians," said Minister of Transport Marc Garneau.