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Asia’s closest port on the North American West Coast is welcoming its first containers. On Wednesday, Canadian National Railway Co. opened an intermodal terminal and transload center at the new Port of Prince Rupert in Prince George, British Columbia.

Served by ocean carrier COSCO Container Lines Americas Inc., the port and terminal/transload complex can be reached from Asia in 58 fewer sailing hours compared with other West Coast ports. CN’s complex will handle containerized export products moving to and from Asian markets through the new port.

The intermodal terminal initially will handle 500,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually. The terminal eventually will be expanded to handle 2 million TEUs.

CN partnered with Maher Terminals of Canada Corp. and the Prince Rupert Port Authority to fund the project.

The railroad recently upgraded rail traffic control systems west of Prince George, extended sidings, upgraded tunnels and bridges, and acquired 2,250 platform cars and 50 locomotives to accommodate traffic generated by the port complex.